ICANN Decides Against Kid-Friendly,
Adults-Only Domains
The board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) voted November 16 not to establish new top-level Internet domains for either child-friendly or pornographic sites. However, the online Wired News reported that it did select seven new domains—among them .name for individuals, .museum for museums, and .pro for credentialed professionals—that could be in place by next spring if approved by the US Department of Commerce.
The decision follows the November 10 release of an ICANN staff report that called the establishment of a .kids domain unfeasible because of “inadequacies in the proposed technical and business measures to actually promote kid-friendly content.” The report also said that controversy over the .xxx domain “and poor definition of the hoped-for benefits” made it unfeasible “at this time.”
The Commission on Child Online Protection, established with the passage of the Child Online Protection Act in 1998, also decided against recommending the creation of domains labeled suitable or unsuitable for minors in its report to Congress.
The American Library Association and four other groups opposed to undue restrictions on Internet content launched a campaign in July to urge Internet users to join ICANN and participate in the election of ICANN board members.
Posted November 20, 2000.
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