ICANN is once again preparing to evaluate the possibility of creating a controversial top-level domain (TLD) specifically for pornography. The initiative, which is based on a proposal authored by ICM Registry, has been rejected by ICANN twice in the past after considerable public debate. The .xxx proposal is opposed by conservative religious groups, the American Civil Liberties Union, and a significant number of Internet pornographers.

ICANN initially rejected the .xxx proposal when it was first introduced in 2000, arguing that it didn't serve a clearly defined need. The proposal was tentatively approved in 2005 upon its second submission, but implementation was delayed and eventually canceled later that year as a result of a protest campaign orchestrated by the conservative Family Research Council, which inundated the Department of Commerce with thousands of e-mail messages arguing that the establishment of the .xxx TLD would legitimize Internet pornography and make it more accessible while "giving false hope to parents who want to protect their families from pornography."

ICANN officially reversed its earlier approval of the .xxx TLD by a 9-5 vote. Last year, some politicians who apparently didn't get the memo attempted to revive the .xxx TLD with the misguided Cyber Safety for Kids Act of 2006. ICM Registry also took additional action, filing a Freedom of Information suit against the Department of Commerce in an attempt to show that the government's actions were manipulated by conservative religious groups.

In addition to arousing the wrath and ire of conservative religious groups, the .xxx TLD proposal has also received criticism from Internet pornographers who fear that it would compel governments to enact legislation intended to constrain the distribution of Internet pornography. When ICANN discussed the proposal in 2005, members of ICANN's board of directors had expressed concern that governments would potentially place the burden of enforcing Internet pornography regulations on ICANN if the .xxx TLD is instituted.

Despite broad opposition, the .xxx TLD proposal is back again and ready for another vote. To find an explanation for resilience of the .xxx TLD proposal, one need only follow the money. The only organizations advocating the creation of the .xxx TLD at this point are the domain registrars, who would be able to generate considerable profits by selling .xxx domain names.

ICANN is also scheduled to discuss the handling of the RegisterFly fiasco, issues regarding TLDs for countries that no longer exist, and ways to protect the Internet infrastructure from root server attacks like the one perpetrated last month.