.XXX A Bad Idea

["tom hymes" <tomhymes@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear ICANN Board,

I was told in Wellington by ICM Registry that ICANN will not approve .XXX in 
Marrakesh for fear of offending a Muslim host nation? If that is true, is it 
not an excellent argument for rejecting .XXX? How can you approve a TLD that 
cannot even be mentioned in one of your member countries? What sort of 
craziness is that? Please, ICANN, do not approve this application. Everyone 
makes mistakes. Only fools build on those mistakes by not recognizing and 
correcting them before more damage is done. You will be forgiven for backing 
down from an ill-conceived original decision, but you most assuredly will not 
be forgiven for remaining loyal to it. A business plan that will make a few 
people rich is not reason enough to segregate adult speech. What will you say 
when these domains are filtered out at the ISP level, and adults are forced to 
"register" with those ISPs to receive them? Or will you not respond at all 
because it is not in your mandate to consider such things? I say that you must 
begin to consider the unintended consequences of your actions. 

ICANN also must recogize the problem with having no provision for overseeing 
the sponsored TLD application process to make sure that applicants behave 
ethically when gathering support. I spok in New Zealand with the ICANN staff 
member responsible for the sponsored application process, and she told me 
herself that ICANN does not have the recources to follow up on how applicants 
acquire support. So how do you know if the application process has become 
corrupted? Apparently, you do not. I suggest that it is your responsibility to 
make sure that an applicant being granted the lucrative right to control a TLD 
should be vetted not only as to technical and financial criteria, but also and 
as importantly as to whether their methods of gaining support within the 
sponsor community can withstand ethical scrutiny. Without that safeguard in 
place, no sponsored applications should be approved.

Yours Truly,
Tom Hymes