ICANN so I do! Popstar Taylor Swift and tech giant Microsoft were essentially forced to buy domain names ending in .porn and .adult, such as TaylorSwift.porn, TaylorSwift.adult, Office.porn and Office.adult, before trolls could get their hands on them. (Hat Tip: Gururaj S) Why? Because the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is putting up these two generic top-level domains (gTLDs), along with .sucks and 545 other current options (new ones get added every month), for sale on June 1. Looks like Richard Branson and London-based club Stringfellows have also purchased .porn and .adult domains. Celebrities and businesses are being given an opportunity to buy some of the domains up for sale before it is made available to the public. While the .adult and .porn gTLDs cost about $99 a year, .sucks costs a whooping $2500 a year. However, during this sunrise period the price for a .sucks domain is expected to go as high as $25,000. In comparison, regular customers can register a .sucks domain for $9.95. Why release such domain names in the first place? ICANN, apparently, thinks that these "descriptive domains" will be beneficial for Internet users as they will reach their intended destination faster. Also, it'll allow for greater parental control over sites their children visit. Oh! So, this isn't a shakedown scheme? ICANN isn't forcing businesses and celebrities to pay up to protect their names? Glad we could clear that up. I can't wait for somebody to buy ICANN.sucks. Then they'll regret it. — Brian…
