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Can someone explain to me how this helps the Internet ecosystem? If I were a porn site, why would I want this address? Filters, parental controls, etc. are mos

Can someone explain to me how this helps the Internet ecosystem? If I were a porn site, why would I want this address? Filters, parental controls, etc. are most likely going to block the entire .xxx domain - this would limit page views. History has shown that .com is the most popular TLD - how is .xxx going to help? It seems like an attempt to drum up registrar dollars.

yock 16y ago
True, it would limit page views, but don't forget that (for better or worse) there are laws about viewing pornography across most of the country and much of the world as well. At least some of that traffic is coming illegally, and it may be only a matter of time before porn peddlers are held legally liable for that traffic. I think it makes a lot of practical business sense to be able to unequivocably categorize your business.
- noctrine 16y ago
  I wonder if this would sponsor any relevant legislation. US based sites being forced to this TLD in order to place Liability for Minors on parents.
cookiecaper 16y ago
.xxx helps because it allows easier segmentation. xxx sites will be considered "good citizens" for moving over. Filters will block all of them, which is fine because people who'd be filtered significantly (kids) don't have money to spend on this stuff anyway. Others may be filtered only at work but frankly that's a job-saving idea so it keeps money coming in. If you want porn, you know just how to get it; go to any xxx domain out there. If you don't want it, you know how to avoid a larger part of it; don't go to any xxx domain out there. Sounds like it works well to me! No mandatory compliance would ever work, and there will always be porn littered all over these many internets, but .xxx domain will make at least part of it easier to access/avoid, according to the desires of the user and/or its guardians.
- user24 16y ago
  "how to avoid a larger part of it" not true though; most of the existing porn will remain where it currently is. New sites might choose to start up with .xxx, existing big sites might buy the .xxx counterpart and keep their .com. The end result is no reduction in non-.xxx porn, and some extra porn on .xxx. Totally pointless.
  - jasonlotito 16y ago
    The other thing is, most responsible adult companies already work to make sure their sites are labeled clearly as adult-only sites. Parents have options to prevent their children from going to these sites. In fact, these sites are safer for children than Facebook when you get right down to it.
    - cookiecaper 16y ago
      It's pretty hard to block these sites because you have to know the domain name/information on each one. Assuming large-scale voluntary compliance, and I think the chances are good that all the "big" producers will move over, it's much easier to just filter the xxx domain and be done with it. Usually the idea is to keep it away from children because children will willfully look at it without understanding. That page that says "Absolutely DO NOT look at this if you're under 18" has no relevance to an under-18 year old. It's the same reason we put all other restraints on teenagers; if they were capable of detecting trouble and reliably refusing to participate therein, then they wouldn't need all of the things that are in place to protect them from themselves, foremost among these being parents.
      - jasonlotito 16y ago
        > It's pretty hard to block these sites because you have to know the domain name/information on each one. No, you do not. There are services out there that assist in this. http://www.cybersitter.com/ http://www.cybersitter.com/ http://www.netnanny.com/ http://www.netnanny.com/ http://www.cyberpatrol.com/ http://www.cyberpatrol.com/ http://www.asacp.org/ http://www.asacp.org/ Couple this with parental controls in Windows and Mac (I'm sure it has it), and you don't have to know each domain. > Assuming large-scale voluntary compliance, and I think the chances are good that all the "big" producers will move over, it's much easier to just filter the xxx domain and be done with it. There already is voluntary compliance amongst the the big producers, as well as the smaller ones. There is no incentive to attract children. These sites have already a vested interest in their current domains. Do you realize the cost involved with moving domains at the scale you are discussing? For what? To do what's already possible and being done? I'd be more worried about sites that you wouldn't think to place in .xxx and yet are in many ways worse (looking at you, reddit!)
jws 16y ago
It could work like US film ratings. There was a time when film makers deliberately added elements to pull an R rating because audiences associated that with more enjoyable films. Consumers might associate "a real .xxx grade site" with quality. But they will have to be trained.
InclinedPlane 16y ago
In theory .xxx is the perfect ghetto for adult content. Dump everything there and then it becomes so much easier to filter/block/firewall, etc. Pornographers will see this coming from a mile away and most won't bother with the .xxx tld. Moreover, none of the big porn sites of today are likely to relinquish their prized .com domains. On the whole it's a bad idea that will have little result.

yock 16y ago

True, it would limit page views, but don't forget that (for better or worse) there are laws about viewing pornography across most of the country and much of the world as well. At least some of that traffic is coming illegally, and it may be only a matter of time before porn peddlers are held legally liable for that traffic. I think it makes a lot of practical business sense to be able to unequivocably categorize your business.

noctrine 16y ago
I wonder if this would sponsor any relevant legislation. US based sites being forced to this TLD in order to place Liability for Minors on parents.

cookiecaper 16y ago

.xxx helps because it allows easier segmentation. xxx sites will be considered "good citizens" for moving over. Filters will block all of them, which is fine because people who'd be filtered significantly (kids) don't have money to spend on this stuff anyway. Others may be filtered only at work but frankly that's a job-saving idea so it keeps money coming in. If you want porn, you know just how to get it; go to any xxx domain out there. If you don't want it, you know how to avoid a larger part of it; don't go to any xxx domain out there. Sounds like it works well to me! No mandatory compliance would ever work, and there will always be porn littered all over these many internets, but .xxx domain will make at least part of it easier to access/avoid, according to the desires of the user and/or its guardians.

user24 16y ago
"how to avoid a larger part of it" not true though; most of the existing porn will remain where it currently is. New sites might choose to start up with .xxx, existing big sites might buy the .xxx counterpart and keep their .com. The end result is no reduction in non-.xxx porn, and some extra porn on .xxx. Totally pointless.
- jasonlotito 16y ago
  The other thing is, most responsible adult companies already work to make sure their sites are labeled clearly as adult-only sites. Parents have options to prevent their children from going to these sites. In fact, these sites are safer for children than Facebook when you get right down to it.
  - cookiecaper 16y ago
    It's pretty hard to block these sites because you have to know the domain name/information on each one. Assuming large-scale voluntary compliance, and I think the chances are good that all the "big" producers will move over, it's much easier to just filter the xxx domain and be done with it. Usually the idea is to keep it away from children because children will willfully look at it without understanding. That page that says "Absolutely DO NOT look at this if you're under 18" has no relevance to an under-18 year old. It's the same reason we put all other restraints on teenagers; if they were capable of detecting trouble and reliably refusing to participate therein, then they wouldn't need all of the things that are in place to protect them from themselves, foremost among these being parents.
    - jasonlotito 16y ago
      > It's pretty hard to block these sites because you have to know the domain name/information on each one. No, you do not. There are services out there that assist in this. http://www.cybersitter.com/ http://www.cybersitter.com/ http://www.netnanny.com/ http://www.netnanny.com/ http://www.cyberpatrol.com/ http://www.cyberpatrol.com/ http://www.asacp.org/ http://www.asacp.org/ Couple this with parental controls in Windows and Mac (I'm sure it has it), and you don't have to know each domain. > Assuming large-scale voluntary compliance, and I think the chances are good that all the "big" producers will move over, it's much easier to just filter the xxx domain and be done with it. There already is voluntary compliance amongst the the big producers, as well as the smaller ones. There is no incentive to attract children. These sites have already a vested interest in their current domains. Do you realize the cost involved with moving domains at the scale you are discussing? For what? To do what's already possible and being done? I'd be more worried about sites that you wouldn't think to place in .xxx and yet are in many ways worse (looking at you, reddit!)

jws 16y ago

It could work like US film ratings. There was a time when film makers deliberately added elements to pull an R rating because audiences associated that with more enjoyable films. Consumers might associate "a real .xxx grade site" with quality. But they will have to be trained.

InclinedPlane 16y ago

In theory .xxx is the perfect ghetto for adult content. Dump everything there and then it becomes so much easier to filter/block/firewall, etc. Pornographers will see this coming from a mile away and most won't bother with the .xxx tld. Moreover, none of the big porn sites of today are likely to relinquish their prized .com domains. On the whole it's a bad idea that will have little result.