I put this up in the All of 'Em Adult News yesterday. The bit I thought was interesting is the bit that says " $250,000 had been pledged for a legal defense fund to keep “.xxx” voluntary." etc.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/new...al/11939702.htm
Worth the xxxertion?
A red-light district tentatively cleared for construction on the Internet – the “.xxx” domain – is being billed by backers as giving the $12 billion online porn industry a great opportunity to clean up its act. A distinct online sector for the salacious sites, with rules aimed at forbidding trickery, will reduce the chances of Internet users accidentally stumbling on porn sites, they argue. If only it were so simple: “There are going to be pressures” to mandate it once available, said Marjorie Heins, coordinator of the Free Expression Policy Project at New York University’s law school. Robert Corn-Revere, a lawyer hired by ICM to address free-speech issues, said the company has pledged $250,000 for a legal defense fund to keep “.xxx” voluntary, and he notes that courts have struck down efforts to make movie ratings mandatory. “Where governments have tried to use private labeling systems as proxies for regulation, courts have always held those measures unconstitutional,” he said. Even if it’s voluntary, supporters say, adult sites will have incentives to use “.xxx.” “If the carrot’s big enough, you’re going to get sites in there,” said Parry Aftab, an Internet safety expert who served as an informal adviser on “.xxx.”