.xxx

Overview

• .xxx (pronounced "dot triple-ecks" or "dot ecks ecks ecks") is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) intended as an option for the online adult-entertainment community.
• The sponsoring organization is the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR); the registry operator is ICM Registry LLC.
• The string is intended primarily for pornographic sites and as a labelled space for consenting-adult content; direct second-level registrations are allowed.

History

• Early proposals and reviews:
  • .xxx was first proposed by ICM Registry in 2000 and resubmitted in 2004 during sTLD application rounds.
  • The proposal met repeated scrutiny and opposition from governments and stakeholders; the ICANN Board rejected the application multiple times in the mid-2000s.
• Independent review and approval:
  • ICM sought an Independent Review Proceeding (IRP); in February 2010 an IRP panel concluded that the application met sponsorship criteria and criticized the Board's handling.
  • Following further review and consultations (including GAC input), the ICANN Board approved the registry agreement on 18 March 2011.
• Delegation and launch timeline:
  • The TLD went into operation in April 2011 (ICM began operations 15 April 2011) and the string was delegated to the root zone in mid-2011.
  • Sunrise period began 7 September 2011; landrush and general availability phases followed, with public registrations opening in December 2011 (general availability 6 December 2011).
• Opposition and legal actions:
  • The TLD faced opposition from the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), industry groups such as the Free Speech Coalition, and private legal challenges (e.g., petitions and suits by adult-industry parties including Manwin).
• Alternative / unofficial implementations:
  • Prior to ICANN delegation, private alternative-root providers (New.net, AlterNIC) had offered unofficial .xxx-like namespaces.

Usage and Audience

• Intended audience:
  • The primary intended community is the online adult-entertainment industry (performers, producers, site operators, distributors, etc.).
• Actual use patterns noted in sources:
  • Many .xxx names have been used as secondary domains for pornographic sites; some registrations were defensive or marketing-driven rather than strictly pornographic.
  • Examples of non-adult or marketing use include kite.xxx (sports/marketing) and popebenedict.xxx (content not focused on pornography).
  • ICM launched adult-focused services such as search.xxx to direct traffic to .xxx sites.
• Adoption and volumes:
  • Over 100,000 domains were pre-registered before launch. Reported counts: a peak near 142,000 registrations (Dec 2012) and 122,000 active registrations reported as of 2 June 2013.
  • The registry sold premium names (see Notable Cases) and reported registrar distribution across multiple major registrars.

Registration Rules

• Sponsorship and eligibility:
  • Registration is restricted to members of the sponsoring community (the adult-entertainment community) and applicants undergo eligibility verification.
  • Registrants are expected to provide identifying information (date of birth, address, phone) and accept the Registry-Registrant Agreement and IFFOR baseline policies.
• Compliance and content rules:
  • IFFOR baseline rules include prohibitions on child-abuse images and material that suggests availability of such content, requirements for labeling, automated scanning for policy compliance, and restrictions on marketing to minors.
  • Registrants must agree to automated scanning; attempts to prevent scanning are prohibited.
  • Abusive registrations (e.g., trademark infringement, cybersquatting) and malicious conduct (phishing, spam) are prohibited.
• Post-registration and dispute processes:
  • A post-registration challenge process exists; dispute mechanisms associated with .xxx include UDRP, CEDRP, START-UP Trademark Opposition Procedure (STOP), and a Rapid Evaluation Service (RES) for performer/entertainer name protections.
• Technical/administrative notes:
  • Direct second-level registrations are permitted under .xxx.
  • The registry's infobox in public sources lists DNSSEC as not enabled.

SEO and Brand Impact

• Blocking and filtering:
  • Proponents argued a single TLD could simplify parental and workplace blocking (block the entire TLD) instead of content-based filtering.
  • Critics noted that because use of .xxx is voluntary, explicit content would continue to exist on other TLDs, limiting effectiveness of blocking and potentially encouraging defensive registrations.
• Censorship and free-speech concerns:
  • Observers warned that a clearly labelled adult TLD could make it easier for governments or platforms to block or censor adult material, raising free-speech and jurisdictional concerns.
• Marketing and brand effects:
  • Some registrants used .xxx for marketing, humor or innuendo rather than strictly adult content, and industry participants engaged in defensive and premium-name purchases.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Legal and industry disputes:
  • Manwin (an adult-industry company) filed legal challenges related to the .xxx delegation and commercial arrangements; other industry groups (Free Speech Coalition) publicly opposed the TLD.
• Suspended and cybersquatting cases:
  • ICM suspended several cybersquatting registrations (examples cited include businessweek.xxx, cnbc.xxx, geocities.xxx, verizonwireless.xxx, washingtonpost.xxx).
• Premium sales and promotional programs:
  • Premium .xxx sales included gay.xxx (reported purchase for $500,000) and shemales.xxx (reported sale for $200,000); high-value portfolios were purchased by domain investors.
  • ICM ran programs such as free one-year .xxx registrations for selected adult performers (Adult Performer Program).
• Registry-operated services and incidents:
  • ICM launched search.xxx, a porn-focused search engine intended to direct traffic to .xxx sites.
  • An incident in December 2012 involved explicit content appearing in parts of the Russian iTunes store linked to xxx.xxx traffic (reported as a developer placeholder/URL snafu).

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       XXX

organisation: ICM Registry LLC
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

contact:      technical
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

nserver:      A.NIC.XXX 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.192.10
nserver:      B.NIC.XXX 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.194.10
nserver:      C.NIC.XXX 2001:dcd:3:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.196.10
nserver:      X.NIC.XXX 156.154.172.82 2610:a1:1074:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Y.NIC.XXX 156.154.173.82 2610:a1:1075:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Z.NIC.XXX 156.154.174.82 2610:a1:1076:0:0:0:1:82
ds-rdata:     21709 8 2 39fe8ae19e8383391804637c5e219ea82b4ac7ec34368696e3c02b4756a59da8

whois:        whois.nic.xxx

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://nic.xxx

created:      2011-04-15
changed:      2024-04-17
source:       IANA