NEW YORK: A proposal to provide .xxx domain extension for porn-peddling websites has been rejected by internet regulator, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann).

At its meeting Wednesday, the organization said the proposal “had received much public comment and detailed discussion” by its board, which by a majority 9-5 vote decided not to accept it.

Icann had given a preliminary approval in June last year to create a .xxx domain for voluntary use by the adult entertainment industry.

Announcing the board’s final decision, Paul Twomey, the regulator’s chief executive, said the decision was based on whether by creating such a domain extension, Icann will end up in having to implement all the world’s laws controlling pornography.

The proposal for the .xxx extension was first mooted by Jupiter, Florida-based ICM Registry Inc. Icann was then apprehensive that it would get into content control. ICM Registry resubmitted its proposal in 2004, structuring it with a policy-setting organization to free Icann from that task. It said the proposed domain extension will help the multibillion-dollar online porn industry clean up its act through the establishment of rules barring spamming and malicious scripts.

The proposal did not find favor with organizations working against pornography either. They said because signing up for .xxx would be voluntary, there was no guarantee pornography sites will move the content to the new domain. And there is no bar on their continuing to use their existing URLs. They also say such a distinction will almost legitimize adult sites, which has a visitor rate of two out of every five internet users.

Several porn sites too objected to the proposal fearing such a domain would result in government and even private industry easily applying filtering mechanisms.