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

Many individuals and societies will find this string offensive and contrary to general standards of public morality. Swearing and the use of other profanities, particularly those of a sexual nature, are regulated in many countries to protect citizens' sensibilities and to protect children.

Watershed restrictions in television are in use around the world because governments and regulatory bodies have recognised its capacity of profane language to cause offence and the threat that exposure to such language poses to children. Such terms are capable of causing universal offence but it is important to recognise that such language is particularly reprehensible to those belonging to certain religions and cultures.

Although television scheduling provides some safeguards to protect certain groups from offensive language, the world wide web is by contrast unregulated. The proposed threads would increase the prevalence of offensive language on the world wide web and, in turn, the general public's, including children's, exposure to profanities.

Therefore, we respectfully request that ICANN not award this gTLD string.