Viviane Reding, European Commissioner responsible for Information Society and Media, in a speech on WSIS: "The recent controversy around a possible new .xxx Top Level Domain for adult content highlighted this bizarre situation. Several public administrations have expressed concern over this initiative, including the European Commission, but it will be the sole right of the US government to decide whether this Top Level Domain enters cyberspace or not, even though it will be visible on the screens of net users in countries all around the world."

This is not only wrong, it's irresponsible. Ms. Reding completely ignores ICANN's role in the selection of new gTLDs: a process that has nothing to do with the United States government. Either the author of this paper has no clue about how new gTLDs are selected or she's intentionally misstating the facts for political effect (can you say 'Weapons of Mass Destruction'?). If it's the latter, be very afraid. This is less about getting the U.S. out of the way than it is about putting the EU (and other governments) in the way of private-sector led processes.

Viviane Reding's lies certainly will be believed by emerging countries with less previous experience within the GAC and ICANN. It's one thing to have an honest debate about the future of the Internet's core set of resources; it's quite something else to manipulate opinion by playing on the worst fears of emerging governments and those who know nothing about ICANN's processes.

Here's the truth of the matter. The U.S. has charged ICANN, a multi-stakeholder, international body with an international Board of Directors, with the responsibility of selecting new gTLDs. Since ICANN was created in 1998, ICANN has selected nine new gTLDs (.BIZ, .INFO, .PRO, .NAME, .MUSEUM, .AERO, .COOP, .JOBS, and .TRAVEL) and all nine have been entered into the root zone. The idea that it is the United States government that will decide whether .XXX is appropriate for the root zone or not is completely out of touch with reality...and history.

One final point. If, like Ms. Reding, you put the .XXX decision-making on the U.S. government rather than ICANN, you're implying that the the new body you'd like to put in place of the United States would have power over the selection of new gTLDs. In other words, you're advocating the replacement of benign, laissez faire oversight (US) with a top-down control model (EU+other nationa). This is bad.

Personally, I favor replacing them both and making ICANN the final arbiter. But that model is much closer to the status quo than it is to the plan mapped out by Commissioner Reding.