Application Comment Details

The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) is the information and communications technology sector (ICT) regulator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SA).

Amongst its roles and responsibilities include:

• Granting licenses in the ICT sector

• Protection of users’ rights

• Setting service quality standards

• Preparation of policies, regulatory frameworks and studies of ICT sector in SA

• domain name administration in SA

• Increasing the information security awareness level in SA

• Supervision of the National Committee for Information Society in SA

We consider there is a risk that this string is used in the same way as .XXX to host pornographic websites.

Many individuals and societies find this string offensive on religious and/or cultural grounds. We oppose the introduction of this gTLD string on both of these grounds, and because pornography causes huge damage to society's social fabric. Pornography undermines gender equality and threatens public morals by objectifying and exploiting women. The values expressed in pornography clash with the family concept and they undermine the traditional values that promote marriage, family, and children. Pornography frequently depicts irresponsible behaviour by parties who take no long-term responsibility for their actions. Studies have shown that exposure to pornographic material causes decreased respect for long-term, monogamous relationships, and diminishes the desire for procreation.

There are already thousands of pornographic websites on the internet. Allowing the applied-for string to be registered, can only increase proliferation of pornographic websites and pornographic material that may be accessed on the internet, often without any restriction, by the world's population including, of course, children.

Therefore, we respectfully request that ICANN refuse the application for this gTLD string.