:: Deepquest ::

“It will further help to protect kids,” said John Morris, staff counsel at the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology. Wednesday, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers determined that the proposal for the “.xxx” top level domain submitted by ICM Registry, Inc. has met the criteria established by ICANN. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or ICANN said it would begin negotiations with ICM Registry Inc., run by British businessman Stuart Lawley, to work out technical issues and prices for the new Web addresses.

“We are pleased with the ICANN Board’s decision,” said Stuart Lawley, chairman of ICM Registry.

Adult-oriented sites, a $12 billion industry, could begin buying “xxx” addresses as early as fall or winter depending on ICM’s plans, ICANN spokesman Kieran Baker said. ICM contends the “xxx” Web addresses, which it plans to sell for $60 a year, will protect children from online smut if adult sites voluntarily adopt the suffix so filtering software used by families can more effectively block access to those sites reports Washington Post.

Parry Aftab, executive director of WiredKids.com and the Wired Safety Group, a worldwide leader in online safety, and parent and child Internet education, gave qualified approval.