Did James Dobson Stop the XXX Domain?
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ICM Registry - they proposed the creation of the .xxx domain for adult sites is using the US Department of Commerce and the Department of State. Their claim is that the American government blocked the domain as a way of appeasing their fundagelical supporters, particularly James Dobson.
ICM obtained papers via the Freedom of Information Act.
ICM claims the documents show that the US government “solicit[ed] foreign government intervention to achieve DoC’s domestic political goals”.
One of these goals, the documents suggest, was appeasing the Family Research Council and Focus On The Family, right-wing groups run by radio host James Dobson. Dobson was credited by some with winning the 2004 presidential election for Bush, by bringing out the anti-gay vote.
“What really matters in this mess is Jim Dobson,” one Commerce staffer emailed to his colleagues on June 16. “What he says on his radio program in the morning will determine how ugly this really gets—if he jumps on the bandwagon, our mail server may crash.”
He did jump on the bandwagon. While it’s not known if the server crashed, it is known that tens of thousands of form email complaints were ultimately sent to Commerce and ICANN as a result of Dobson’s outreach.
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