.XXX, Domain Blocking & Usenet - During their March 18th meeting in Silicon Valley, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) entered into an agreement with ICM Registry to approve ".XXX" as a new top-level domain. This arrangement, which was originally proposed and rejected by the ICANN board in 2006, will create a dedicated domain on the Internet for adult content websites. Nine members of the sixteen member ICANN board voted to approve the ".XXX" domain, a decision that ultimately went against the recommendation of ICANN's Government Advisory Committee. Reaction to the new ".XXX" domain suffix has been a mixed bag. Religious groups worry that the arrangement will further promote pornography to the masses... the adult entertainment industry fears that the move will create a virtual red light district that will impact their business... and organizations such as FSC (Free Speech Coalition) have concerns that free speech rights will be threatened. In light of ICANN's decision, I can't help but play devil's advocate and express a few thoughts and concerns of my own. Cha-Ching! While ICANN has been vocal about the benefits Internet users and businesses will reap from the creation of the ".XXX" domain, they haven't talked about their financial stake. The registration fee for a...

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