Newly proposed top-level domains – the part domain names end in, like .com and .org – are up for consideration by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. And guess what Saudi Arabia has a problem with?
The Saudi Arabian government is objecting to a number of proposed new Internet address endings, including .gay, .bar, .baby and .islam.
The country claims the .gay domain would promote homosexuality and would be offensive to “many societies and cultures.” Saudi Arabia’s Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) filed objections to 31 domain extensions, primarily on cultural and religious grounds.
If any theocracy or dictatorship around the world were allowed to veto some part of the internet that goes against their beliefs, it wouldn’t be the internet, now would it? What sense does it make to say we can’t have a .gay domain here, because they don’t like the .gay domain there? There’s already a .xxx TLD, and I bet the Saudi Arabian government isn’t a fan of pornography. While we’re at it, why do the US (.us) and Israel (.il) have their own TLDs? I can think of a few countries who would rather they didn’t exist, either.
21 comments
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vexorian
August 15, 2012 at 6:40 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It is pretty dumb they would do this. If anything, it would make it easier for them to ban anything gay-related, just order ISP to block sites with .gay domain.
steve84
August 15, 2012 at 7:08 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Beat me. They already have an extensive internet censorship going on (so does the UAE among others in the region). They can easily block it along with the thousands of other sites they block.
The Nerd
August 15, 2012 at 7:08 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I now want to go to every .gay domain there is.
Every
single
one.
:D
Robert B.
August 15, 2012 at 10:35 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh, man, I know. I’m imagining new versions/sections of existing websites. Freethoughtblogs.gay. Slashdot.gay. Battle.gay. Youtube.gay.
We’ve seen saudiarabia.gay. I wonder who will get whitehouse.gay? Jesus.gay? I want to see these things, I really do.
george.w
August 15, 2012 at 10:44 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
iamso. ami. thatsso. isshe. ishe. travoltais.
The possibilities go on and on…
Tualha
August 16, 2012 at 11:28 AM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
enola.
Marcelo
August 16, 2012 at 1:17 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I bet the internet will be quick to make you regret saying that.
The only rule of the internet that’s never been broken is rule 34.
The Nerd
August 16, 2012 at 1:18 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
A wise warning indeed.
Forbidden Snowflake
August 15, 2012 at 7:36 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Rock Beyond Belief reports that the saudiarabia.gay domain has already been bought.
sarahanne
August 15, 2012 at 8:06 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
yeah I really don’t understand why they would care. If I were running an oppressive bigoted homophobic country (which I’m not) I would welcome a .gay domain cause it would make it really easy to block that sort of stuff.
george.w
August 15, 2012 at 10:13 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
“There’s already a .xxx TLD, and I bet the Saudi Arabian government isn’t a fan of pornography.”
Officially, sure. Unofficially, I bet they are too fans of pornography…
steve84
August 16, 2012 at 11:34 AM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They love their porn. Just like among American fundies porn consumption is high there. It’s just not talked about.
Almulhida
August 15, 2012 at 11:15 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Funny, I was just thinking that no one would use the .gay domain in Saudi Arabia because it’s too obvious a target.
Lindsey
August 15, 2012 at 11:21 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wow. This post just made me really giddy for some reason. I hope everybody just rolls their eyes and laughs at that statement like I just did, because it’s the internet. I’m sure more than half of the things on it already offend Saudi Arabia, so what’s the problem? They’ll just censor it like they always have, which, as others have pointed out, the domain name would make it easier for them to do.
And do they really think that they can dictate which domain names everybody else in the world is allowed to use?
georgewiman
August 15, 2012 at 11:24 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
After all, how far wrong could we go if, before posting anything on the Internet, we just ask ourselves “Am I trying hard enough to offend Saudi Arabia?”
Pope Bandar bin Turtle
August 16, 2012 at 4:38 AM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
My proposals for new top-level domains:
You’re welcome, I’m sure.
christophburschka
August 16, 2012 at 2:07 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wait, what?
(Also, why the .baby?)
kagerato
August 16, 2012 at 3:50 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Since ICANN basically intends to sell these top-level domains to the highest bidder and/or any rich fool who wants to pony up hundreds of thousands of dollars, I very much doubt that .gay will the most offensive one Saudia Arabia has to deal with.
Laypeople are confused enough, thinking that the only real TLD is .com. I can’t imagine the chaos this will ultimately unleash on them.
Then again, maybe the rich aren’t as dumb as I think, and these aren’t going to serve as the grand fundraising scheme ICANN thinks they are.
christophburschka
August 17, 2012 at 5:42 AM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Buying a TLD could be a lucrative investment. At roughly $15 per name per year, I’m sure you can convince lots of people to re-register all variations of their company’s name to “prevent squatters” on your new TLD. Though if it repeats often enough, I expect they’ll catch on that they’re being suckered.
We haven’t quite figured out namespaces yet. Our territorial impulses are only accustomed to deal with tangible land, I suspect.
Indonesiawap
October 13, 2012 at 11:31 AM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I have a 3 month old website. PR0.
Now someone threaten me he will get Google to banned my website. Can he do it?
Thanks
Aubrey Whyms
December 2, 2012 at 8:57 PM (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This is a site which makes up crazy stories to post for laughs. They sometimes write about things like an alien and Bigfoot having a litter of babies and then selling them for top dollar to A-listers. I don’t think that exact article has ever been written, but I’ve seen things similar to that before.