'XXX' Domain Could Be Delayed

The Bush administration may have helped to successfully put a stop to the approval process for the .xxx domain, which was expected to complete Tuesday. Michael Gallagher, assistant secretary at the Commerce Department, formally asked for a delay on Monday.

"The Department of Commerce has received nearly 6,000 letters and e-mails from individuals expressing concern about the impact of pornography on families and children," Gallagher said in a letter to the governing body that control's the world's domain names, ICANN.

However, the United States is not the only country objecting to the new suffix. Even internally, ICANN's own government advisory group had suggested a delay would be prudent so the group could sort out any remaining issues governments may have had.

"I believe the Board should allow time for additional governmental and public policy concerns to be expressed before reaching a final decision on this [domain]," Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, chairman of the committee wrote in a letter to the ICANN Board of Directors.

Several conservative-leaning interest groups have spearheaded much of the public resistance in the United States. A few, like the Family Research Council, advised members to write to the Department of Commerce in order to get the domain blocked.

"Some naively suggest that passing a new law to force pornographers to move to .XXX will solve the problem but that will not work either. Law means nothing to hardcore pornographers," the group wrote in a press release in June.

"There already is a law prohibiting them from selling hardcore porn on the Internet-anywhere on the Internet - yet they have been doing if for years."

It is not immediately clear what action ICANN will take. If it does bow to government pressure, it could be seen as allowing governments to take more control over Internet policy. But not doing anything could upset government officials whose support would be needed to make the ICANN an United Nations-governed body.