[alac] US Senators propose xxx domain
http://pryor.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?id=252708&; This goes far beyond just creating it....now they want DOC to fine non-compliant sites- civil penalty. related http://baucus.senate.gov/newsroom/details.cfm?view=03162006-domain March 16, 2006 Press Release Pryor, Baucus Lead Charge to Protect Children on Internet; Senators Want New Domain to Shield Kids from Pornographic Material WASHINGTON D.C. - Senators Mark Pryor and Max Baucus (D-MT) today introduced legislation to require Web sites with adult content to have an .xxx domain that only adults can access. Pryor said he believes a separate domain on the Internet for pornography will help parents filter their children's access to inappropriate materials. Pryor and Baucus' legislation, the Cyber Safety for Kids Act, would require the Secretary of Commerce to negotiate with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to develop a special domain name for websites containing adult content. ICANN, an international Nongovernmental Organization, is charged with selecting domain names, such as .com, .org, .net., edu. and .gov. Under the legislation, companies that fail to register with the new domain within 6 months would be subject to civil penalties. "While the Internet is an exceptional learning tool, it allows children the same easy access to websites about space shuttles as it does for pornography. Turning a blind eye to this problem has allowed the online pornography industry to expand and enabled kids to view adult content at very young ages," Pryor said. "By corralling pornography in its own domain, our bill provides parents with the ability to create a 'do not enter zone' for their kids." Pryor said addressing Internet safety for minors will have to be multifaceted given the explosion of pornographic websites on the Internet and sexual predators lurching online, but that parents must at least be able to monitor and control the content their kids are exposed to while online. He said the number of adult web pages has grown from 14 million in 1998 to more than 400 million in 2005, which has resulted in a $12 billion industry. He also cited a Kaiser Family Foundation study that found 90 percent of kids aged 8 to 16 have viewed pornography online, mostly while doing homework. |