ICANN Panel Mulls .XXX on Eve of Vote

LISBON, Portugal — On the eve of the vote over .XXX, its chief backer conceded to XBIZ that members of ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee have grown tired of the issue and that individual countries have already made up their minds.

“There is no consensus amongst the GAC members," ICM's chairman and CEO Stuart Lawley told XBIZ Thursday. “Some countries are opposed, which is no great surprise, but most are neutral.”

The government advisers met behind closed doors Wednesday but did not issue any statement relative to .XXX. Whatever the advisers decide, their decision carries weight but is nonbinding

A vote on the issue by ICAAN is expected Friday.

ICANN's 15 board members could approve it, reject it outright or reject it but leave room for a revised proposal to return. The board also could defer a decision for more discussion.

ICANN has rejected .XXX proposals twice in the last seven years — once in 2004 and last May — and already has discussed the latest version during three closed-door meetings this year.

ICANN revived the issue in January after ICM agreed to hire independent organizations to monitor online adult site compliance with new regulations, which would be developed by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility, a separate entity.

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Segpay Partners With Corey Silverstein for Legal Services

Segpay has partnered with adult industry attorney Corey D. Silverstein for specialized legal compliance and policy support for its merchant network.

AEBN Reveals Kasey Kei as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2026

AEBN has named its top trans stars for the second quarter of 2026, with Kasey Kei landing atop the leaderboard.

Missouri Governor Signs Bill Making AV Regulations State Law

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed a bill into law on Thursday requiring adult websites to age-verify users in the state, finalizing a legislative “stamp of approval” for AV rules after Missouri’s attorney general unilaterally imposed similar regulations last year.

Utherverse Launches 'Adult Game Fest' Virtual Convention

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse is launching its inaugural Adult Game Fest convention and trade show, taking place Sept. 24-26.

Ofcom Fines Fapello $845,000 for AV Noncompliance

U.K. media regulator Ofcom on Thursday imposed a fine of 630,000 pounds (about $845,000) against adult website fapello.com for failing to comply with provisions of the Online Safety Act.

KiwiSourcing Joins Pineapple Support as Sponsor

Outsourcing and consulting firm KiwiSourcing has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

AdultHTML Introduces AI-First Development Services

AdultHTML has introduced an AI-first development service, giving clients access to experienced software developers who use AI to streamline software development.

Texas Court Orders Adult Site Domain Locked for AV Violations

A district court in Texas has issued a writ requiring domain registry Verisign to “lock” an adult website’s domain over noncompliance with the state’s age verification law.

Adult Web Hosting Service 'QloudHost' Launches

QloudHost, a new web hosting service for adult websites, has launched.

Peter Hooke Launches New Paysite

Peter Hooke has launched an official website through PAYSITE.

Show More