YNOT – Free Speech Coalition has launched an anti-dot-xxx campaign urging adult businesses not to buy into the dot-xxx sponsored Top Level Domain the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved last week.

“Collectively, adult businesses understand that ICM Registry’s dot-xxx is bad for the adult entertainment industry,” FSC Executive Director Diane Duke said. “FSC is launching this campaign, thus continuing its effort to rid the industry of this hazard. We are encouraging adult businesses to ‘Just Say No to Dot-xxx.’

“FSC acknowledges and respects that, when push comes to shove, businesses need to do what they think is best for their company,” Duke added. “That is why adult companies need to know the implications of purchasing dot-xxx domain names and why buying dot-xxx [domains] could be the worst investment they’ll ever make.”

To help explain the potential pitfalls of the new sTLD, FSC offered a list highlighting some of what the organization sees as the most serious issues for adult online businesses.

• A dot-xxx domain will cost exponentially more what a dot-com costs. Although a final per-domain price has not been revealed, dot-xxx domains are expected to sell for $60 to $75 each.
• Just five days after dot-xxx passed, India vowed to block the domain space at the root. Australia and Germany reportedly are considering similar moves, with China and many Muslim nations sure to follow suit. Every region that blocks dot-xxx devalues costly investment in domain names in the space.
• sTLDs have a history of failure — even ones that are not blocked by entire countries and have their industry’s support. (Remember dot-travel?)
• High-traffic websites will be leery of linking to dot-xxx sites for fear they will be blocked, fearful of being blocked as well.
• All registrants of dot-xxx domains must agree to third-party automated monitoring of their sites for compliance with policies established by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility. The policies have not yet been revealed.
• Aliasing dot-com addresses to dot-xxx domains and vice-versa will require the sites in both spaces adhere to IFFOR policies.
• IFFOR policies will be determined by a yet-to-be-selected council hand-picked by IFFOR’s board of directors, which will be chaired, at least initially, by ICM Chief Executive Stuart Lawley, not the industry dot-xxx is supposed to represent. In addition, IFFOR bylaws give ICM Registry veto power over policy development.
• Businesses that alias dot-xxx and dot-com domains to the same location make their dot-coms put their dot-coms at risk for censorship and blocking.
• Dot-xxx represents an enormous additional financial burden to adult businesses, already struggling in a difficult economy. For example, a company like Kink.com — which owns approximately 10,000 domain names — would have to increase its revenues by $750,000 annually just to break even on “defensive” dot-xxx registrations.

Regulatory organization ICANN approved ICM Registry’s application for the dot-xxx domain despite protests from its own Governmental Advisory Committee and the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, and strong opposition from leading adult industry businesses.
FSC will continue to keep its members updated about dot-xxx, which the organization sees as a primary threat to the industry.

“As the adult industry trade association, FSC will continue to support the interests of all adult businesses,” Duke said. “We will continue to lead opposition to dot-xxx domains, because we believe that buying into the dot-xxx online ghetto is harmful to the adult industry and individual adult business.

“The dot-xxx domain will serve only to fragment the internet, make adult online businesses an easy target for anti-adult filtering and censorship, and also make it easier for underage users to access adult material online,” she added.

For more information about FSC’s anti-dot-xxx initiative or to find out how to participate, visit FreeSpeechCoalition.com, email Duke or call 818-348-9373.