ICANN puts off .xxx decision

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has decided to delay its decision on the creation of a .xxx web domain.

Members of the ICANN board of directors voted to give president Rod Beckstrom and general counsel John Jefferies an additional 14 days to examine the proposal from ICM Registry to assign .xxx as a top level domain for pornographic websites.

"What we have decided to do is examine multiple paths forward," said Beckstrom.

"Without getting into all the arcane and complex legal issues, there are different ways this might move to the next step."

Following the presentation from Beckstrom and Jefferies, ICANN will open a 45 day period for public comment before making a decision on whether to move forward with the plan in June.

The decision from ICANN extends an effort from ICM first launched in 2004 to set up the domain. The proposal was initially struck down by ICANN in 2006, but has since been re-submitted by ICM.

The group argues that by specifying the top-level domain and laying out requirements for sites, instances of malware infection, cybercrime and illegal pornography on adult sites could all be better controlled.