I oppose the xxx TLD

["Laura" <laura@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To Whom it May Concern:

 

I am an adult webmaster of over 40 active websites, and the owner of over
340 domain names, many of which are "adult oriented" in nature. I strongly
oppose the introduction of the xxx TDL. All of the material I have read
regarding this proposed introduction points toward an anti-adult industry
approach from those proposing the new TDL, as well as a desire on the part
of those proposing the change, to financially benefit from the introduction.
It is wrong, and should be strongly opposed by your organization, on behalf
of your customers who maintain adult oriented websites. 

 

I am a strong supporter of efforts to prevent young people from accessing
adult material. However, there are many filtering products available to
consumers today to control the content that their families are viewing.
Aside from the remotely plausible but most likely false suggestion that the
introduction of the xxx TLD is in part based on a desire to assist in the
filtering of adult content, I see no realistic benefit to be gained from
this new TDL:  filtering technology already exists, has existed for years,
and unfortunately, is rarely used by parents. 

 

The adult industry should not be further penalized, taxed, or charged for
exercising our First Amendment rights to produce and distribute LEGAL erotic
content, nor should the processes and regulations involved in running a
legitimate adult Internet business be unnecessarily complicated for those
ethical, decent webmasters and business owners in my industry.

 

The ambiguity involved in deciding what is "adult" and what is not "adult"
oriented material will also come into question. None of my sites feature
graphic photographic content - will I be fully exempt? Are my sites that are
geared toward transgendered straight males, which include but are certainly
not limited to erotic stories and audio files, be included in this xxx
requirement? Will my website featuring educational and informative
interviews regarding the subject of masturbation be included? Will my
Internet chat sites, on which visitors discuss many topics including but not
limited to adult oriented conversations, be affected? If so, will AOL and
Yahoo chat rooms also be required to carry the xxx TLD, since many of their
chats are adult oriented?

 

Where is the line drawn? Who will decide where it's drawn? 

 

And why should I, simply by virtue of the type of material I choose to
produce, be required to pay a 400%+ premium, to maintain my domain name
registrations? At the proposed rate of $60 per domain annually, this will
cost me over $20,000 per year, instead of the $5100 I am currently paying
for my .com domains, to maintain these domain registrations. I see no
realistic, logical justification for this exorbitant cost - it's an
arbitrary "sin premium", and it is unfair and illogical, and quite
transparently, it is designed to financially benefit the proposers of the
new TLD, and no other party.

 

In its currently proposed form, the xxx TLD will cause far more problems
than it solves. 

 

Sincerely,

Laura Dwelley

LDW Group, Inc.

Franklin, MA

888-204-1992