Singapore internet users will not be barred from .xxx websites. (AFP)
The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and local Internet Service Providers (ISP) say they have no plans to block netizens from accessing future ".xxx" adult websites.
First suggested by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility in 2003, the controversial ".xxx" suffix aims to make it easier for parents to block such content from minors.
After years of negotiations, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) , the ".xxx" suffix was approved for use in March. Companies in the adult industry have already started applying to register with Icann a week ago.
Although the first .xxx sites have yet to appear, MDA deputy director for regulations Yuvarani Thangavelu told The Straits Times, "It is not practical to block all objectionable sites given the borderless and dynamic nature of the Internet."
While the MDA has previously mandated ISPs including SingNet, StarHub and M1, to block 100 sites as "a symbol of statement of our community's stand on harmful and undesirable content on the Internet", MDA does not intend to expand the list to include .xxx sites.
While ISPs do not have plans to block them either, they do have family internet filter services, which cost about $3 monthly, for parents who are worried about such sites.
StarHub's corporation communications manager Cassie Fong said its SafeSurf Internet filter service is expected to blanket block all .xxx sites.
In addition, according to Ms Thangavelu, .xxx sites that are found to be hosted locally will be taken offline.
While the Singapore government has previously said that it would not proactively hunt down people who download pornographic material, under the Films Act, it is illegal to possess it, and those found with such material can be fined thousands of dollars.





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