Racheal Lee
Jun 8, 2011

Singapore refuses to censor .xxx sites

SINGAPORE – Internet users will not be denied access to '.xxx' websites that are expected to go live this year.

Media Development Authority Singapore
Media Development Authority Singapore

Content regulator the Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore and internet service providers say they have no plans to block websites bearing the '.xxx' suffix, designated for sites run by the adult industry.

It is also understood that these .xxx websites will be paid sites.

The International Foundation for Online Responsibility first suggested the suffix in 2003, which is said to make it easier for parents to block such content from children.

The move, nevertheless, drew fire from many, while others slammed it as pointless when pornography was easily available online. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) finally approved the use if the suffix in March this year.

ICANN began to accept applications from companies in the adult industry to register such websites a week ago, although it has yet to set a date for the .xxx sites to go live.

Some local Singapore companies are expected to register .xxx web addresses to pre-empt mischief or blackmail attempts in the future.

The MDA has mandated ISPs to ban some 100 "undesirable" sites; the Government announced in September last year that it will leave the ban in place, despite recommendations to lift it.

Follow us

Top news, insights and analysis every weekday

Sign up for Campaign Bulletins

Related Articles

Just Published

11 hours ago

YouTube’s dominance and other podcast trends to ...

Podcasting’s meteoric growth has been underscored by blockbuster deals like Joe Rogan’s $250 million Spotify contract and SiriusXM’s $125 million investment in Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy.

11 hours ago

Former UK deputy PM Nick Clegg leaves Meta ahead of ...

Republican and former White House deputy chief of staff Joel Kaplan to take over as Meta’s president of global affairs after nearly seven years.

2 days ago

BYD closes 2024 on top, but can it sustain its EV ...

BRAND HEALTH CHECK: After outpacing Tesla and smashing 2024 sales records, BYD faces its toughest road yet. With 45% EU tariffs and a locked-out U.S. market, can the EV giant supercharge global ambitions or stall under trade barriers?

2 days ago

Move and win roundup: Week of January 2, 2025

As 2025 kicks off, Campaign rounds up the first major people moves and business wins of the year. From leadership exits to new creative wins, catch all the latest updates in January's first edition.