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good info.

One small problem I see is that browsers will have to know what DNSs are porn sites and if the porn site doesn't have an equivelent xxx site (or doesn't disclose it) then the browser will have no way of knowing. If someone tried to compile a list of all porn sites it would be difficult as new ones would keep popping up etc..

I'd think if a company existed that compiled a list of these (via crawlers etc..) and developed software (of the like that already exists) it would be much more effective at stopping kids from viewing porn then a red light type district. Which is sort of what you're saying in a different way about choosing the right ISP. It seems what you're suggesting would increase the use of the xxx district, but not assure that porn couldn't be viewed outside this area.

I think this is much ado about nothing and seems to be a big deal because we are contrasting out view of the outside world to that of the internet and it is an imperfect analogy.

Perhaps my arguments are resting on faulty premises - I admit I am not a techno whiz.

Techno-wiz or not, you make good points and raise good concerns.

If someone tried to compile a list of all porn sites it would be difficult as new ones would keep popping up etc.

Excellent point. Today, we (I am in the industry) battle this same issue with spam advertised sites. All those junks emails you didn't ask for almost invariably point to a website trying to sell you something. We are learning (very quickly) how to identify these sites as fast as they appear and distribute the knowledge of them as quickly. We're learning and the education we gain applies to porn sites as easily as it applies to spam sites. You are correct, it is difficult, but it is getting easier every day. Furthermore, every site that pops up costs "them" money to register and host, whereas we can identify these sites and distribute our knowledge of them at no cost. The economics of the situation will force "them" to play ball eventually.

It seems what you're suggesting would increase the use of the xxx district, but not assure that porn couldn't be viewed outside this area.

The first step is to redirect all porn traffic to the red-light district. As we vote with our dollars, the ISP's will agree to funnel porn-dot-com addresses into their porn-dot-xxx equivalents. Porn-dot-com companies will ultimately migrate to the porn-dot-xxx equivalents as the traffic to the dot-com address dwindles and no longer supports the cost of maintaining them. Then, browsers like Internet Explorer and Mozilla can be improved, or add-on packages like Net-Nanny can be used to allow or disallow access to the dot-xxx sites. The control is in the hands of the parent / consumer as to whether those sites are accessible or not.

Children accessing porn in school's, libraries, and at home while the parents are at work has become common place. The time has come to curtail it, and the dot-xxx top-level-domain is a necessary tool in doing so. At least it would open the door to the possibility ... and that's not all bad.