Sites using .xxx go live

More 100,000 Web sites using the .xxx domain hit the Web, heightening debate over the new top-level Internet designation.

The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved .xxx in March, and the domain went up for general sale Dec 6. According to a release from ICM, the registry responsible for overseeing all .xxx sites, the action offers a “responsible alternative” for sites that offer adult content, since it clearly identifies the kind of site that users can expect to see when they click on a link. Debate over the new domain has been fierce, with both the adult industry and anti-porn activists criticizing the move. Anti-porn groups such as Morality in Media have argued that .xxx will make it easier to find Web sites with pornographic material and would “increase, not decrease” access to pornographic Web sites. On the other hand, while some adult entertainment companies have embraced the new designation, others say that the move is anticompetitive.