Porn sites set to go .XXX today

CNN reports: It's either a new, safer era for adult content on the Web or the first step in creating a digital porn ghetto, depending upon who you ask.

Today at 11 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 websites are expected to go live with the new .xxx domain.

The suffix was approved as a "top-level domain" address last year by ICANN, the international not-for-profit that coordinates Web addresses. The idea, they say, is to more safely organize content that has become, like it or not, common on the Web.

"The Internet is home to a wealth of content, suitable for a wide range of ages and values," reads a statement on the website of ICM Registry, which is responsible for handing out the new domain names. "The adult entertainment industry has, and always will, account for a large amount of this content and while it is enjoyed by some, it is not suitable, or of interest, to all Internet users. Regardless of your views on adult content, it's here to stay, so let's be adult about it."
T
he group says that creating the suffix will act much like .gov, .edu or .org, giving Web users a heads-up about what sort of site they are visiting based on its Web address alone.

In theory, that would help keep people from stumbling into porn by accident and make it easier for parents to keep their children away from the sites. It also would let users who want to view adult content know that they're visiting a safe, legitimate and legal site.

Porn, or the promise of porn, is frequently used online in suggestive links that mask viruses, phishing attempts and other harmful malware.

By applying for a .xxx site, webmasters, adult performers, studios and others become part of a "sponsored community," agreeing to operate legally and within agreed-upon business standards. Each .xxx site will be scanned daily with McAfee protection tools, which ICM says will help make them among the Web's safest destinations.

But as you might expect, not everyone is pleased with the move.

More here.