The internet is on track to get its own red light district as the push for an .xxx domain name is gaining momentum.

 

On Friday the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) paved the way for the porn-only section of the net, when they gave the go ahead for the application for the controversial .xxx top-level domain (TLD) to progress to the next stage.

 

“The ICM registry applied for the .XXX sponsored top-level domain as a potential community site for the adult entertainment industry,” it stated on the ICANN press release. “The Board approved a detailed set of next steps for the application, including expedited due diligence, negotiations on a draft registry agreement, and consultation with ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee.”

 

This domain name was first suggested six years ago by the ICM Registry, who state that they have already taken 110 000 pre-reservations for this net suffix. They also see it becoming available around the beginning of 2011 if not sooner.