Latest news from the scantily-clad world of adult entertainment: websites under the new .xxx top-level domain will get a search engine all their own, at the disappointingly ordinary address of http://www.search.xxx.
They could have gone with something more suggestive, like desperatefor.xxx. Or helpmegetmy.xxx. Or even xxx.xxx. But no, they’ve picked plain old search.xxx.
MORE: Are You Ready for XXX Action?
The site will index adult websites inside the .xxx domain and will probably carry ads. You don’t need to think too hard to imagine what sort of products and services they’ll be advertising.
You might still be able to find the .xxx sites you’re looking for by using other search sites, but only this one will just search the porn, the whole porn, and nothing but the porn. The site will be run by ICM Registry, the company in charge of running the rollout of .xxx domains.
That rollout starts in September, when there will be what’s called a “Sunrise” period. That’s followed in October by a “Landrush”, and finally in December registrations will be open to everyone.
Well, almost everyone. Watching over the process will be a non-profit policy group called IFFOR, funded by a $10 cut taken from every .xxx registration. They have a set of strict rules governing who can and can’t apply.
Not everyone is happy about this setup. Not even all the porn companies.
Some of them think IFFOR will interfere with their businesses, while supporters say it’ll be good to have an “official” chunk of the internet reserved for porn—using a separate domain will help parents and schools ensure that kids don’t accidentally stumble across stuff they shouldn’t.
MORE: Fired IT Guy Sticks Porn into CEO’s PowerPoint Presentation
[via The Register]