The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has had a change of heart and now believes .xxx domains for pornography sites are a good thing.

And no big thing, according to proponents of the Web Red Light district (via the New York Times):

“It is good for everybody,” said Stuart Lawley, the chairman and chief executive of ICM [an Internet registry promoting the xxx designation]. “It is a win for the consumer of adult content. They will know that the dot-xxx sites will operate by certain standards.”

Maybe.

Regardless, the whole .xxx thing is just like Hamsterdam from The Wire’s third season – herd the dealers into someplace you can both keep an eye on them and exercise some control over the action.

And at least some of us know how that turned out.