Wide World of Porn- It’s official-the Web soon will have its own red-light district. This week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved a plan that will allow pornographic Web sites to use URLs that end with “.xxx.”

ICANN first considered this adults-only, top-level domain in 2000, but decided to reject it. That move drew criticism from certain Web groups that said the organization was too “heavy-handed” when it came to deciding on which domains were acceptable. Others domains ICANN has rejected include .mobile, .health and .travel.

As for this week’s decision, ICANN spokesperson Kieran Baker said the nonprofit organization has merely taken the first steps to creating designated adult URLs, and that the Canadian ICM Registry will handle how the new top-level domain, which will be voluntary, is distributed and dealt with.

“As the tech coordinator, we don’t have a role in passing judgment on content,” Baker said. “We don’t look inside [these sites]; we just let them know to where they get sent.”

That leaves the bulk of the answers about the new online destinations with the ICM Registry, which was unavailable for comment at press time.

But ICM president Stuart Lawley said in a statement, “By moving forward with .xxx, the online adult-entertainment industry is taking part in a proactive approach to its presence on the Internet, making an identifiable commitment to responsible behavior and to the development of best business practices.”

ICM also posted information about the new adult-oriented destinations, including how and why the new domain will prove to be beneficial, the most repeated comment being that the best-practice guidelines accompanying an .xxx site will relieve pressure from child and family safety groups-namely because a regulatory group that heads up the .xxx domain will set rules as to how and where adult Web sites with that top-level domain operate on the Web.

Parry Aftab, who serves as executive director of one such group, WiredSafety, said that after many meetings with both online safety and pro-porn groups, she stands behind ICANN’s decision.

Aftab said the creation of the new domain is “good for child safety” and that it gives parents and guardians “a valuable tool to protect their children from inappropriate content on the Internet.”

Aftab said she was initially approached by ICM’s Lawley and was opposed to talking with him. After learning that Lawley was an enterprising businessman and dedicated father-instead of a pornographer-she decided to meet with him to see how the .xxx domain could help protect children in addition to preserving the rights of adult-content creators and consumers.

She said she thought this was the best time to act, because in two years the domain would have been in the hands of pornographer Larry Flynt, and “that’s not acceptable.”

“It isn’t a complete solution, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Aftab added.

According to the ICM Web site, a voluntary .xxx domain is also necessary to protect the rights of adult-content creators and consumers on the Web. Research shows that the online adult-entertainment industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of the Web. More than 10 percent of all online traffic and 25 percent of all global Internet surfing is for adult-oriented material.

As a result of these staggering numbers, ICM says the responsibility falls to this voluntary, industry-led movement. The ICM statement says it will promote child-friendly surfing online, promote credible self-regulation for the online adult-entertainment industry and protect freedom of expression for adult-content creators and for Internet users, among others.

The new .xxx Web sites will start to roll out once ICM and ICANN create and sign a mutual contract. The new domain will cost less than $100 and will be available to registrants willing to adhere to the predetermined best business practices.