Sex domain decision delayed again

A decision about the establishment of a .xxx domain for sex sites has been delayed again. The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has been considering the move, but political pressure from George Bush Jnr and others has seen the decision deferred. Michael Gallagher, assistant secretary for Communications and Information at the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC), sent an open letter to Vint Cerf, ICANN chairman, saying: "The [DOC] has received nearly 6,000 letters and emails from individuals expressing concern about the impact of pornography on families and children and opposing the creation of a new top-level domain devoted to adult content. "Given the extent of the negative reaction, I request that the Board will provide a proper process and adequate additional time for these concerns to be voiced and addressed before any additional action takes place on this issue." In a separate move, ICANN approved the .cat domain, and reserved it for members of the Catalan ethnic group.