back to article Religious wars brewing in ICANN gTLD expansion

Religious convictions are emerging as the key battle line in the massive domain name expansion currently in progress at internet addressing overlord ICANN. Morality in Media, a largely Christian, US-based anti-pornography group, has become the first religious organisation to kick off a formal campaign against what it seems a “ …

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  1. David Hicks
    Devil

    Unlike, say, religion?

    Which doesn't in any way seek to undermine critical thinking or rewire childrens brains?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Unlike, say, religion?

      Beat me to it...

      "has been proven to rewire the brain, and ultimately tears at the world’s social fabric by defining down what is decent and right in our culture"

      Oh, the irony, it hurts!

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: Unlike, say, religion?

        Teaching people to love each other is "tearing down what's right"? In modern culture - probably.

        1. skipper

          Re: Unlike, say, religion?

          " Teaching people to love each other is "tearing down what's right"? "

          I can't work out if that's ironic or not. Generally religions only preach that if you're all of the same religion, and some don't even manage to do that.

          1. Graham Dawson Silver badge
            Headmaster

            Re: Unlike, say, religion?

            43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

            Matthew 5:43-48

            1. frank ly

              Re: "Do not even the tax collectors do ..."

              There is a clearly implied lack of love for tax collectors in these teachings. Maybe it's a human nature thing.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: "Do not even the tax collectors do ..."

                ".... clearly implied lack of love for tax collectors...."

                Tax collectors weren't liked by the 1st century inhabitants of Jerusalem etc. The tax collectors worked for the Romans you see, who were the invading army of the day, and hence were seen as collaborating with the enemy. They also weren't paid a salary but got their living by charging a level of tax above that which had to be paid to the Romans. So, big blokes with swords invade. some of your mates side with them and come round demanding tax from you - some of which they pass on to the blokes with swords, spears and chariots, some of which they keep for themselves. Might explain why they weren't popular.

                1. Suricou Raven

                  Re: "Do not even the tax collectors do ..."

                  More or less the same thing with Herod. Real king, puppet of the Romans, and very well documented too. By most accounts a rather nasty piece of work with a few murders to his career, but no-where other than the gospels is there any mention of him ordering his army to slaughter all male newborns in his domain... and that is one hell of a thing for historians to forget about. The writers of the gospels, or one of those who edited them, put in the slaughter of the innocents as a piece of propaganda to tell the Jews how ruthless and murderous a monster the Romans were willing to put in charge. Even if the story was completely made-up, it's still good propaganda. Nearly two thousand years, and he is still best-known for ordering a slaughter that never happened.

                2. cosmodrome
                  Angel

                  Re: "Do not even the tax collectors do ..."

                  I for one welcome our tax collecting (and wiretapping) overlords!

                3. mhenriday
                  Big Brother

                  Fortunate, is it not,

                  that such things - «big blokes with swords invade. some of your mates side with them and come round demanding tax from you - some of which they pass on to the blokes with swords, spears and chariots, some of which they keep for themselves» - (mutatis mutandi, with more modern weapons) never happen today, innit ?...

                  Henri

              2. Dave 126 Silver badge

                Re: "Do not even the tax collectors do ..."

                I do like JC, but some strange things are said and done in his name. His friendships with tax collectors and prostitutes should be be taken by those who follow him as a signal not to be so bloody judgemental and reactionary.

                Like Kurt Vonnegut, I guess I'm an 'Atheist for Jesus'.

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              @Graham Dawson

              Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

              -Matthew 7:6

              1. This post has been deleted by its author

            3. Sean Timarco Baggaley

              @Graham Dawson:

              "And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein." – King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)

              In other words: "Go! Fuck! Frequently!"

              The Abrahamic religions clearly have a problem understanding this. It's not even subtle.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            "Generally religions" ...

            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic_of_reciprocity#Religion_and_philosophy

            http://bible.cc/matthew/5-44.htm

          3. Anonymous Coward
            Thumb Up

            Re: Unlike, say, religion?

            “Pornography’s inherent objectification of women and children for sexual pleasure has been proven to rewire the brain, and ultimately tears at the world’s social fabric by defining down what is decent and right in our culture,” Patrick Trueman, Morality in Media's president, wrote."

            Fave Author Wrote:

            "Being a functional human being with a healthy sex drive - it's quite interesting in a society where we are all damaged and or impaired to some degree. Much of what gets demonstrated, while some of it's quite good in terms of the loving relationship or the enjoyable act it's self, but much of it is mmmmmm too crazy and dysfunctional for my liking. In terms of mental illness, a healthy sense of ones own identity and a healthy sexual relationship is better than having magic sticks on the wall to grovel at, or even having telepathic contact with some dead guy in low earth orbit... it's also better than the grip on reality of those people into taking "spiritual direction" from their "imaginary friends".

      2. James Micallef Silver badge
        Angel

        Re: Unlike, say, religion?

        "Pornography’s inherent objectification of women and children for sexual pleasure has been proven to rewire the brain"

        That's a complete red herring. Actually, every single sensory input, thought and idea rewires the brain. The brain is a learning machine, and it's constantly rewiring.

        " and ultimately tears at the world’s social fabric by defining down what is decent and right in our culture"

        What the hell does 'defining down' even mean? And who made the church (of whatever denomination / religion) the arbiter and custodian of what is decent and right? If people spent more time consensually shagging random strangers for the pure fun of it I bet there would be a lot less war, rape and pillage. (Granted, maybe a few more STDs and outof-wedlock children, but given the choice of social problems I know which I'd rather choose)

        1. Suricou Raven

          Re: Unlike, say, religion?

          Think religious. They use an absolute morality system: God is right at the 'top' as the standard to aspire to. So 'defining down' means 'defining the common perception of decency as further away from the ideal that is God.' It's a bit tricky to follow them sometimes if you don't understand how they think.

        2. P. Lee

          Re: Unlike, say, religion?

          I suspect the reference is to the apparent addictiveness of porn and the fact that an often-repeated action is harder to stop. Porn provides a powerful reward system for the continued usage of (usually) women as pleasure objects. While all behaviour does rewire the brain, there are few behaviours with such powerful rewards.

          While cause and effect are difficult to argue, there does appear to be a re-enforcing effect. If you cheat on taxes once, you are more likely to do it again. Every time you conciously choose not to smoke, it becomes easier to choose not to smoke again.

          I would hazard a guess that "defining down" means lowering the bar for what is considered acceptable behaviour. There was a time in the relatively recent past when not breaking your promises to your partner to "love and to cherish, forsaking all others. til death us do part" was considered normal and a good thing. Now the reality is that "you'll do for the time-being." I fail to see how that cannot be degrading and is based on the selfish notion that love is something that happens *to* me, rather than being something I give to someone else.

          There was plenty of war, rape & pillage around before the Church came along. The Vikings were somewhat famous for it. War, rape and pillage are the product of selfishness. Porn too is inherently selfish - its sex without responsability or the effort of a relationship. Is it any wonder that people give on the hard work relationships involve when it looks like fun is to be had without all that hassle?

          While the Church shouldn't be defining decency, the Bible does stake the claim that it offers something better than secular society offers. Even talking purely of sex, secular experts suggest sex is better in a stable relationship, if slightly less adrenalin fueled. Random sex with strangers doesn't really cut it.

          That said... dumb idea for a tablet...

  2. Real Ale is Best

    Hmm.

    Personally, I think they should ban all religious TLDs altogether. We currently have enough religious wars going on as it is without further provocation.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Hmm.

      I think it's a good idea - however they should all be under one TLD ".religion", and ISPs should block this content by default to prevent impressionable youths, the weak minded etc from seeing it by accident - people should have to request to have this TLD unblocked, and their names added to a register of social deviants.

      (See what I did there?)

      1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
        Trollface

        Re: Hmm.

        I think the TLD should keep to 3 letters or fewer - for example, ".isf" (Imaginary Sky Fairy) or perhaps ".fsm" might be more appropriate as a collective TLD...

      2. Dazed and Confused
        Childcatcher

        Re: Hmm.

        Won't somebody think of the children

        1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
          Childcatcher

          Re: Hmm.

          > Won't somebody think of the children

          I though that abuse scandal in the "Church" (can't remember which one though) had been put behind us?

    2. Tom 35

      Re: Hmm.

      "represent the whole Muslim community"

      Good luck with that. Could say the same for any large religion that has split into different groups.

  3. Piloti
    WTF?

    Just one word of advice.....

    If you don't like looking at porn, then DON'T LOOK AT PORN.

    If these crazy religious fanatics get their way here, where next?

    I do like the idea from AC about about a .religion TLD. This would be the first item I would block on my firewall.

    Mind you, there are many a good hour to be spent winding up these crazy half breeds.....

    P.

    1. JDX Gold badge

      If you don't like looking at porn, then DON'T LOOK AT PORN.

      If you don't like looking at grannies being beaten up, don't look at it. There's such a thing as not believing the whole world revolves around you and your desires.

      1. dogged

        Re: If you don't like looking at porn, then DON'T LOOK AT PORN.

        There is such as a thing as consensus. Grannies being beaten up has a pretty clear consensus view of "bad". Coveting your neighbour's ox or looking at ankles, not so much.

        1. Oliver Mayes

          @dogged

          I once caught myself coveting the ankles of my neighbours ox. What do I do now?

          1. dogged

            @Oliver

            Avoid your rabbi, priest and imam for a while. And think yourself luckyt it wasn't a dead ox or you'd have upset the Hindus as well.

          2. Crisp

            Re: @Oliver

            I believe that you're supposed to take two doves. Burn one and sprinkle the blood of the other one around.

            I'm not really sure how that helps though.

            1. Rampant Spaniel

              Re: @Oliver

              I thought it was 3 hail mary's and a hand through the candle. Poor bloody doves! At least eat them afterwards. What kind of deviants run around eviscerating innocent doves.

              I have to admit my first thought was the same as the OP's, religious folks are claiming sombody else is rewiring minds? Is their grounds patent infringement?

            2. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

              If you don't like looking at porn, then DON'T LOOK AT PORN.

              I think you'll find that they themselves quite like looking at porn. What they want is to stop *you* from looking at porn.

            3. Suricou Raven

              Re: @Oliver

              IIRC, that's the ritual required for those suffering from skin conditions. The KVJ translates 'leprosy' but the ancient hebrew word actually includes a wide variety of skin conditions as well as leprosy. It wasn't exactly intended as a cure, more a ceremonial cleanliness thing.

          3. Rich 11

            Re: @dogged

            Get stoned.

      2. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        FAIL

        Re: If you don't like looking at porn, then DON'T LOOK AT PORN.

        > If you don't like looking at grannies being beaten up, don't look at it.

        Höhöhö JDX, you think porn is somehow like beating up grannies?

        Back to Jesus Camp with you and STAY there, mmmokay?

        1. J 3
          Joke

          Re: If you don't like looking at porn, then DON'T LOOK AT PORN.

          "Höhöhö JDX, you think porn is somehow like beating up grannies?"

          I wouldn't be surprised if there was a fetish out there for porn involving beating up grannies...

          1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
            Trollface

            Re: If you don't like looking at porn, then DON'T LOOK AT PORN.

            Rule 34 of the Internet applies...

    2. James Micallef Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Just one word of advice.....

      It's bloody stupid of the people wanting to ban porn to NOT want porn TLDs. Porn-specific TLDs will be a doddle to block, if they had any sense their best strategy is to force all porn to be registered as a porn-TLD-ghetto that can then be closed off.

      This is the same reason why porn-peddlers are also strongly against porn-specific TLDs. Why pay 10 times for 10 domains when your .com is raking in the cash just fine??

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Dear religious groups

    My morality is different to yours. Yours has been cobbled together from a collection of old books and you have been told by priests (or equivalent) that God demands you are this way. Mine just boils down to one thing 'treat everyone decently and equally' and came from within. Yours discriminates against groups because they are different to you, I don't. Yours promises pain and suffering for unbelievers, I don't. Mine allows people to be themselves as long as no-one else gets hurt, yours doesn't.

    In other words please fuck off trying to dictate what people can and cannot do because it doesn't fit in with your beliefs as not everybody shares them.

    1. Graham Dawson Silver badge

      Re: Dear religious groups

      In other words you're discriminating against religious groups because they came to their conclusions via a different path to yours and added some flowery language to what is, in essence, the same basic statement and now you want to dictate what they can and cannot do because it doesn't fit in with your own beliefs.

      This absolves them of nothing, I should add, but you really ought to consider what you're saying, because you are no different in the end.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Dear religious groups

        Yes I discriminate against religion. I hate it and wish everybody could see religion for the scam it is and that its entire history is one of population control. I have no problem stating this and it is my right to do so. I do not discriminate against the people who choose to follow that religion and am quite happy to let them do their own thing as long as it doesn't impact me. If any individual follower of that religion starts cursing me and telling me I am going to Hell etc just because I don't follow 'the way' then I will have a problem with that person, not everybody else of that faith.

        Religious groups do not make such a distinction - if you are gay you are part of that group and hated, if you are a different religion you are hated, they do this with every type of person they can put into such a group because they are 'different'

        And that in the end makes my opinion about as different from the religious as you can get. Some will disagree and that is their right but only as long as the religious are not in charge. Then you start getting laws against heresy, blasphemy etc and you no longer have the right to your opinion because God said so.

        1. Winkypop Silver badge
          Thumb Up

          Re: Dear religious groups

          What he/she said....

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Dear religious groups

          hmmm some religions don't hate others just disagree, you appear to be using inflammatory language.

    2. Tom 13

      Re: Mine allows people to be themselves as long as no-one else gets hurt, yours doesn't.

      No it doesn't. The existence of your post refutes your claims.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. This post has been deleted by its author

      3. BoldMan

        Re: Mine allows people to be themselves as long as no-one else gets hurt, yours doesn't.

        What? Are you a total idiot - where in that post is he hurting anyone? Unlike this post which is intentionally being rude to you for being stupid.

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        OK Troll , I'll bite

        How exactly does my post refute it?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Dear religious groups

      which one is true?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This is the internet...

    it was built on p0rn...

    1. LinkOfHyrule
      Joke

      Re: This is the internet...

      Standing on the shoulders of giant cocks!

      1. Rampant Spaniel

        Re: This is the internet...

        which of course are standing on a giant clamshell ;-)

    2. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: This is the internet...

      I can't see how consumption of pr0n will go up just because someone has made a new home for it... I don't get this group's logic.

      If I were them, I would back these TLDs because if all pr0n shifted there (unlikely, I know), it would make it easier for parents to block them.

      On a side note, does it work like the following?:

      .ADULT- tasteful erotica

      .SEX - Lover's guide, etc

      .XXX - everything else.

      I think that rather than denying a 14 yo lad everything, he should be started on erotica which emphasizes sex as a fun, beautiful, compassionate act between two people... otherwise he'll just seek out the nasty stuff that is so common.

      1. Crisp

        Re: Dave

        Can I also recommend

        .NASTY - You don't want to know.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
          Coat

          Re: Dave

          Is it too late for me to register .goat?

          Oh, sorry, just me then. I'll get me gcoat.

          Mine being the long, dirty raincoat, obviously...

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Dave

            No, not at all, you've plenty of time as you wait in the queue while my application for .onecup gets reviewed...

      2. philbo
        Devil

        Re: This is the internet...

        Some religion gTLDs -

        .almighty

        .church (although you might get catholic.church, methodist.church what happens if someone registers charlotte.church?)

        .brainwashingchildren

        ..it's obvious why religions don't like the thought of pornography - their monopoly on perverting the minds of the young is being invaded.

  6. Lockwood

    .christmas

    All I can see there is http://is.it.christmas which would return a single word.

    1. Don Bannister
      Happy

      What about howmanydaysisitto.christmas ?!

      1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

        How about: so.here.it.is.merry.christmas/everybody's/having/fun/

  7. The BigYin

    I really do not get what is wrong with...

    .com (global, commercial)

    .net (global, infrastructue)

    .org (global, non-commercial)

    etc

    and then...

    .com.uk, .com.usa etc etc

    It's simple, it's understandable and barring non-ASCII characters, it works well without the need for a money generating land-grab. Oh, wait; there's the problem,.

    1. BoldMan

      Re: I really do not get what is wrong with...

      Because it doesn't generate enough money for ICANN which is of course a non-profit-making charity where if they make a profit, it gets donated to the people who run it for the good of their souls...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I really do not get what is wrong with...

        ICANN used to be a non-profit charity but with all this tosh about TLD its about time thier charitable status is reviewed.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I really do not get what is wrong with...

          If members of ICANN are so keen on promoting .xxx .adult .sex porn tlds its about time they came out of the closet of hypocrisy and created their own www.icann.xxx site.

  8. Ian McClumpha
    Gimp

    “Pornography’s inherent objectification of women and children for sexual pleasure has been proven to rewire the brain, and ultimately tears at the world’s social fabric by defining down what is decent and right in our culture,” Patrick Trueman, Morality in Media's president, wrote.

    Cool, my porn contains no women and no children. Glad to know that the Religious Right have no problem with gay porn.

    1. frank ly

      Perhaps ....

      .... they are still trying to get their heads round it?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Perhaps ....

        Such as George Rekers, Ted Haggard, Eddie Long, Paul Crouch, Troy King, Bruce Barclay, Roy Ashburn, Larry Craig, Ed Schrock, Phillip Hinkle, and a whole host of other politicians and clergy who persecuted gays -- while being themselves, gay.

        1. Dave 126 Silver badge
          Happy

          Re: Perhaps ....

          until I got to the end of your sentence, I thought you were reciting a list of male porn actors!

      2. Rampant Spaniel

        Re: Perhaps ....

        That would explain why they needed to buy so much of it then! Although not their interest in making their own with younger cast members.

  9. LinkOfHyrule
    Joke

    proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

    Last time I checked my brain did not contain wires - so these guys are saying that watching porn is the equivalent of having a sparky come round knock you up a new ring main - but inside your head - wow amazing, I never knew that!

    Sod getting that old fusebox sorted out, I'm just guna wrap it in pages from Playboy and it will fix itself!

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

      It's scientific fact!

      There's no evidence for it, but it's scientific fact.

      Hooray for Chris Morris. I'd post you a link to Brass Eye, but my brain has recently been re-wired by looking at naked pictures of Ann Widdecombe, so I can no longer operate my right hand.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

        Its a metaphor- one man I know gave it as a pep-talk to his friend who had recently suffered a stroke.

        "Its all right mate, all we have here is a big ol' rewiring job, but I know you'll do it"

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

        > It's scientific fact!

        and this is from people who believe that some entity sat down and designed the human body.

        Well if they did I want their address coz I want to sue, I f&^%$ing ache and it must be down to their lousy design.

        1. Suricou Raven

          Re: proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

          The argument from poor design says that the human body could not have been designed by a perfect creator, because it's full of really obviously stupid mistakes. Like fitting the retinas backwards, wiring the larynx up via the heart and the inclusion of an appendix that serves no function except to become fatally infected.

          1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
            Devil

            Re: proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

            Not to mention putting the amusement park next to the sewage farm IYKWIMAITYD.

            1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
              Devil

              FALLACY DETECTED! THESE AIN'T ARGUMENTS AGAINST INTELLIGENT DESIGN!!!1

              That actually just means that God is working in government. Anything goes as long as he can leave office early. Someone else will have to pay. And if it doesn't work out, increase the budget, then try again.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Facepalm

        Re: proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

        to; I ain't Spartacus

        You bastard.

        Ok, I didn't have to google her name, did I.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
          Happy

          Re: proven to rewire the brain - and that's a fact bitch

          "to; I ain't Spartacus

          You bastard."

          And my work here is done. Bringing the delights of the Widdecombe to the masses. For the ladies, there's always www.johnprescott.xxx.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    pot.. meet kettle...

    "Pornography’s inherent objectification of ... children for sexual pleasure "

    Not unlike a Catholic priest then...

    1. Crisp

      Re: pot.. meet kettle...

      Why are religious types always so obsessed with pornography and sex!?

      1. Velv
        Joke

        Re: pot.. meet kettle...

        "Why are religious types always so obsessed with pornography and sex!?"

        Sex is like oxygen - you don't really give it a second thought ... until you're not getting any.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    rewire the brain

    I see the irony of this statement has been pointed out several times already, but everyone appears to have missed the word CHILDREN in the description of pornography.

    What sort of pornography does this guy look at?

    Choir boys?

    1. Suricou Raven

      Re: rewire the brain

      I'm guessing he doesn't look at any. But he has people who told him about it, and they heard from others, who heard from others, who looked at some themselves. At each stage, only the juiceiest and most scandalous stories get passed on... like a concentrator.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ah, so then they're objecting to...

    ...the methodology of the rewiring. Perhaps they'd like to initiate suit for breach of patent, after all, it's what some of these ultra-right-wing religious groups do to unwilling people, isn't it?

  13. /dev/null
    WTF?

    You missed the funniest one.

    There's one comment listed for the .IEEE application by a Jerry Peyton of Streetlight Tucson...

    "This pornographic domain will be accessible by children, and more easily identified by the sexually oriented domain name."

    Huh? What exactly does he think the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers get up to??

    1. frank ly

      Re: You missed the funniest one.

      That's actually 'Internet Erotica for Everyone Everywhere'; a porno globo-corp that is poised to flood the internet with immoral filth. Jerry Peyton is on the ball with this one.

      1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

        Re: You missed the funniest one.

        But one must be a real pervert to search for "IEEE" if all he wants is some pr0n :-)

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How much for .skyfairy ?

  15. alain williams Silver badge

    I would be much happier ...

    to find my kids getting off to something in a .xxx domain than something in a .catholic (or similar) domain. If they spent too long in one of the latter I would have concerns about their rationality and their inclinations to be nice to others and treat people on their own merits rather than the colour of their skin or mythological beliefs.

  16. Ken Hagan Gold badge

    Ban English

    To judge from the list of applications (*), hardly anyone outside the English-speaking world seems to be interested in gTLDs. I'm not in a position to read the non-Latin applications, but they are few in number and I'd guess that at least some of them are merely the equivalents of .com, .org, etc in a more appropriate script. (**) That seems a perfectly reasonable and proportionate extension to the TLD system, so why don't we just toss all the English ones in the bin and keep the rest?

    (* Is there an official list anywhere? I was unable to find one at ICANN, but there's one at http://www.newgtldsite.com/new-gtld-list/. However, there's no entry for .disney which makes me wonder if it is incomplete. :)

    (** I note, that we have applications for .koeln and .zuerich but not for .köln or .zürich. How do native German speakers feel about this. Is this another example of gTLDs appealing to the 7-bit ASCII English-speaking audience and failing to excite even the other half of the Western European code page?)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ban English

      Even better, has someone applied for .cologne, which is the French name of the city of Koln (sory, I can't umlaut).

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What?

    “[P]orn sites on the .com domain have not vacated the .com and moved to .xxx,” he added. “Rather, as we have seen, the .xxx has just added thousand of additional porn sites on the internet and .com porn sites [have] stayed put.”

    I'm shocked! Shocked, I say! Who could ever have expected this?

    This seems like a fairly classic bit of reframing. I don't think anyone ever said porn sites would give up their hard built brands and move to .xxx A person would have to be extremely naive to even think it. Surely the complainant is just trying to erect an issue where none stands.

    1. Steve Renouf
      WTF?

      Re: What?

      I should think they'll just point them to the same servers anyway, rather than build additional completely new sites...

  18. My Opinion

    I've been unable to find any reference to Apple in this thread.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      check again.

      I think there's one on the second page, but it's kind of lame.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      to keep the fanbois happeeeee

      Adam, Eve, Snake, APPLE!!!!

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can we stop arguing with each other over porn and religion?

    And get on with criticising ICANN.

    Preferablly in more and more inventive (invective?) ways.

  20. Tigra 07
    Thumb Up

    Ahh...

    “Pornography’s inherent objectification of women and children for sexual pleasure"

    So gay porn is fine then =P

    They have some nerve going on about child porn anyway, especially since a large percentage of kids are introduced to it in church...

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Godnet

    Let them have their own.

    See if you can work out who would get what:

    .sin

    .kid

    .bom

    .nun

    .nut

This topic is closed for new posts.