As we reported earlier to a prediction that the intenet would be running out of .com names the likelihood of new domain URL’s are in the work. Among them come the suggestion of “.gay” domains. Come on… admit it… you knew this was coming!
In an interview with CNET, Scott Seitz, CEO of dotGAY, discussed the challenges and opportunities he envisions facing his attempts to get approval for a .gay domain. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, recently announced plans to introduce a slew of new domain extensions (a new generation of .org, .edu and .jobs), and various group have begin to organize to get a piece of the web pie.
“We’re getting ready to see the Internet reborn again in a very different way,” Seitz said. “And [...] such a limited number of people were even aware of it. I got involved because I saw what the opportunity was for the gay community. .gay will be a venue for enhancing our ability to interact with each other as a community.”
But Seitz recognizes that not everyone will see .gay as a good idea. One challenge he foresees are anti-gay groups that may try to fill the domain with vitriol, though he believes filtering practices can help limit such activity.
“We can work with some of the best organizations–GLAAD, Lambda Legal. They can help us find a way to filter these people,” he said. “And help us when they’re going to turn around and sue us. I think we have to assume that’s going to happen.”
Though Seitz believes the .gay domain will best serve as a space run for the community rather than as a for-profit company, he also recognizes that in addition to the $185,000 fee ICANN requires for registration, certain organizational aspects will require capital.
But the biggest challenge the domain may face is the U.S. government, who recently proposed that they have the power to veto domains that they believe to be objectionable. Many have condemned the move as a bid to restrict the freedom of the web, likening the situation to the earlier debacle when the government famously fought to prevent the .xxx domain from entering the Internet public for six years.
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