Singapore won’t be censoring websites bearing the .xxx suffix1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSingapore Internet users will not be barred from the Web’s upcoming new red light district.
Content regulator Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and Internet service providers (ISPs) say they do not have plans to block websites bearing the .xxx suffix, which is designated for sites run by the adult industry.
The controversial voluntary suffix was first suggested by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility in 2003, which says the move would make it easier for parents to block such content from impressionable children.
The move, however, drew fire from free speech advocates, while others slammed it as useless in the light of the glut of pornography available online.
Following years of negotiations, the suffix was finally approved for use in March by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann). A week ago, Icann began accepting applications from companies in the adult industry to register such websites, although it has not yet set a date on when the first .xxx sites will appear.
