If you think adult book stores and cable television are as bad as it gets when it comes to pornography, think again. Online pornography is a growing $12 billion industry. Now, the Internet’s primary oversight agency, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), is giving serious consideration to creating a special “.XXX” Web porn domain.

The online red-light district “.XXX” Web porn domain name idea was previously rejected by ICANN, but proposals for adding stronger provisions to prohibit child pornography and required labeling of Web sites with sexually explicit materials has caused the agency to reconsider.

According to reports from the ICANN Web site, the agency initially rejected the proposal in May, not because of opposition, but because of concerns that the agency might be put in a difficult position of having to enforce all of the world’s laws governing pornography.

In the name of entertainment and education, society has succeeded in calling gambling gaming. Now, pornographers are trying to convince us that filth is art and education by designating Web sites with a self-descriptive labeling system. We don’t need more pornography; we need to empty ourselves of the pornographic trash we already have.

The Baptist Messenger calls on all adult Oklahoma Baptists to contact ICANN and encourage the agency to reject the proposal today. ICANN has opened the proposal to public comment until Feb. 5. Comments may be sent to xxx-icm-agreement@icann.org. Caution should be taken when viewing comments at http://forum.icann.org/lists/xxx-icm-agreement. To learn more about the issue being considered, visit http://www.icann.org. An article titled “ICANN Publishes Revised Proposed Agreement on .XXX,” gives further explanation to the proposal. Register your complaint today. You can make a difference.