The online sex industry is worth billions of pounds and is not going away. If the Government and industry associations accept this fact and focus on more practical methods for applying regulations and safeguards, we may witness a more effective outcome for preventing illegal activities.
As a former police officer who worked in the Metropolitan Police Service’s Obscene Publications Unit, I believe that the ‘.XXX’ domain will make it far easier to monitor and control the porn industry, illegal content and who is accessing it.
Realistically, the new domain will not curb the amount of pornography available on the Internet, nor will it cause a dramatic increase. However, it may actually encourage ‘legitimate’ adult web sites to concentrate on the XXX area of the web site – making it much easier for parents and businesses to control access and block content.
The potential revenue generated from the ‘.XXX’ domain might actually fund an industry ‘watchdog’ which could bolster the efforts of organisations like the Internet Watch Foundation.
Creating what is effectively a red light district on the Internet could separate the ‘legitimate’ adult entertainment from the illegal and criminally obscene distribution of material. This would help police and child protection agencies to more effectively monitor, investigate, catch and prosecute the real offenders.
Mark Taylor, Investigations Manager, (Computer Forensics), ibas
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