互联网名称与数字地址分配机构(简称ICANN)在星期五否决了一项关于将.xxx域名定位成人网站专用域名的提案.成人娱乐业界的许多人和类似的宗教团体对该计划一直持批评态度,加拿大政府也在本周提出警告称,这项计划将让互联网名称与数字地址分配机构陷入内容监管业务之中而难以自拔.自从这项提案首次被ICM Registry公司提出以来,业界已经争论了七年,此次ICANN委员会最终以9票对5票的投票结果否决了这项提案.在此之前,ICANN已经两度否决过类似的提案. ICANN首席执行官保罗特沃梅在本周表示,这项提案显然是很有争议的,委员会已经投票否决了这项提案,但是没有说明具体的原因.ICM公司总裁兼首席执行官斯图亚特劳力说:“我们对于ICANN委员会今天的行为感到极度失望.委员会的行为是毫无道理的,这与ICANN自己采取的RFP提案征询政策是不相符的,它的做法与它自己的规章制度中所标榜的'不得在毫无根据的情况下作出歧视性行为'形成了强烈的讽刺,贻笑大方.”他补充说,ICM公司将继续进一步推进这项提案,当美联社的一位记者追问他是否会对ICANN提出起诉时,劳力说:“如果有必要的话,我不排除这个可能性.”可以肯定的是,ICANN再也听不到这项提案了,但是那并不表明这项提案会被完全搁置起来.几乎所有投反对票的委员会成员都表示,如果这项提案获得批准的话,他们担心ICANN可能会发现它自己陷入了内容监管的业务包围中.其他投赞成票的成员则表示,ICANN不能因担心出现那样的事而阻止新域名的使用,他们说判断哪些内容是色情的应该由地方、各州和国家的法律法规来决定.委员会成员史蒂夫戈尔茨坦在投票之前说:“我的决定是层层抽丝剥茧得出来的.我们委员会的目的是找到一种解决方案,避免在修订后的提案得到批准之后让ICANN被迫陷入内容管理和内容监管的难题之中,那样的结果也是与ICANN的技术职责不相符的.”对于那些声称自己非常担心域名会让ICANN陷入内容监管困境的委员会成员,劳力批评他们说他们声称这项提案会让ICANN陷入内容管理困境是他们在提案讨论过程中提出来的.委员会的其他成员表示,他们认为包括网站站长、内容供应商和其他各方在内的成人业界对这项提案持反对意见,这说明.xxx域名并不是一个受欢迎的域名.委员会成员雷蒙多贝查也对提案投了反对票,他说:“这项提案在社区支持度上并没有达到提案征询的要求.”他补充说,成人娱乐业界对此提案的意见从一开始就未达成共识.对这项提案持反对意见的色情网站非常担心这项域名会让各国政府轻易地对它们进行限制.但是ICM表示,它将向各国政府采取的各种措施奋起作斗争.许多宗教团体担心.xxx域名会为成人网站正名并增加成人网站的数量,据comScore Media Metrix统计资料显示,现在每月访问成人网站的美国网民已经达到了网民总数的三分之一以上.comScore Media Metrix公司称,4％的网络流量都来自成人网站,网民们在成人网站上花的时间达到了他们上网时间的2％.这是ICANN第三次否决类似的提案.在2000年,它同样是处于担心.xxx域名可能会让ICANN陷入内容监管困境而否决了一项类似的提案.ICM在2004年再次提出了提案,这次它提出了建立一个政策制定组织来负责监管,从而将ICANN从中解救出来的建议.但是委员会的许多成员仍然担心草案的用语有些含糊不清,可能会再次将那件棘手的事情推回ICANN. 委员会在去年5月份否决了2004年提出的提案.当ICM公司同意让另一个独立组织来监管色情网站是否遵守新法规之后,ICANN恢复了对这项提案的讨论.那些新法规将由一个名为在线责任国际基金会的独立组织来编制.一个月之后,ICM再次修订了之前的提案,以检验ICANN的执行力并强调了政策编制组织的独立性.
ICANN shoots down .xxx yet again
The latest attempt to create an .xxx top-level domain was rejected by the board of ICANN. In a meeting in Lisbon earlier today, the board voted down ICM Registry's proposal, 9 to 5.
In turning down the .xxx TLD application yet again, ICANN's board cited a number of reasons, including public policy concerns and varying global standards over what constitutes adult content. ICANN was concerned that it would ultimately end up being responsible for content found in the proposed TLD.
"The ICM application raises significant law enforcement compliance issues because of countries' varying laws relating to content and practices that define the nature of the application, therefore obligating ICANN to acquire responsibility related to content and conduct," said ICANN.
ICM Registry's proposals have run into opposition from the US government, the American Civil Liberties Union, and some conservative religious groups. Many pornographic website operators also opposed the move, as they feared that an .xxx TLD would result in governments restricting access to all sites in the domain, leading to a drop in traffic and revenues.
During deliberations on the topic, a number of ICANN Board members expressed serious reservations about how well an Internet red-light district would work. "Another large part of the community thinks that if we approve dot XXX, all that material... will magically move into dot XXX, and, therefore, children will be protected, because it will be easy to filter," commented board member Roberto Gaetano. "Within a short period, the people will see that this is not going to happen. Obviously, you know, we can make a bet here. But guess who is going to be blamed."
ICM Registry and other domain name registrars were arguably the only parties that would have truly benefited from approving the .xxx TLD—because of the money they would have made on new registrations. Instead, .xxx is dead... at least for the time being.
