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Tech Report: Internet Red Light District Gets Green Light

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/AP) - You've heard of ".com" and ".org." Joining them soon will be ".xxx" for pornographic websites.

On Friday, the board of directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which oversees the Internet's naming system, approved the creation of a red-light district online. It follows a decade-long battle over such a name.

KCBS technology analyst Larry Magid said the idea faced opposition from both the adult entertainment industry and parents' groups who fear it will not work in practice.

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid Comments:

Pornographers worry it will ghettoize their content and make it more vulnerable to censorship. Although it's meant to be voluntary, they fear governments could try to mandate the domain's use, so that pornographic content is more easily blocked.

Religious groups argue that giving adult websites their own corner of the Internet legitimizes the content.

Supporters have maintained that approving the domain is in keeping with the principle of openness that has fueled the Internet's growth.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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