It looks like hardcore porn is hitting the IE namespace.
Although it is not possible to register porn.ie the domain orn.ie has been registered and if you add a “p” you get p.orn.ie, which is now serving hardcore adult content. (Definitely NOT safe for work!)
Interestingly enough the site is actually hosted in Ireland as well.
UPDATE August 2011
Checking my logs it appears that this post is still very popular 4 years later. The domain orn.ie (and obviously p.orn.ie) is no longer registered
Daithí says
And you found this out how?
😉
michele says
Daithi
That would be telling 🙂
Seriously though .. I work in the domain industry and write about it plus do interviews with the media etc., so there are a multitude of very valid reasons why I would stumble on it. Of course I could simply have been looking for porn as well 🙂
Michele
John McCormac says
There’s probably a few more sites like that. EUBrowser has quite a few that make the whole porn.ie debacle very hypocritical.
Damien Mulley says
Here was I thinking “Must send this to Daithí as he might find it interesting for his media law research”. He got here before me. How did *you* notice this post above others Daithí? 🙂
Damien Mulley says
Holy crap, just visited, that really is hardcore.
John McCormac says
Perhaps it will give you something real to write about in your Sunday Tribune op-ed column Damien. 🙂
tom says
fair play for the link!
Daithí says
Quick, someone register .ireachtas.ie!
Apparently it is a registered business name for sole trader Steve Ryan, sez whois.
And then there’s this thread: http://www.irishwebmasterforum.com/domains-domaining/1676-iedr-trying-terminate-domain-orn-ie.html
All good clean fun 🙂
Damien Mulley says
Nah John, not interested in writing about porn, but work away if you want to.
John McCormac says
I don’t write for the Sunday Tribune Damien,
It couldn’t afford my rates. Though the state of .ie and how problematic registrations are dealt with is a good story but it would involve real journalism rather than mere outraged op-eds. 🙂
Damien Mulley says
Oh yes, I forgot that you don’t write for anyone.
John McCormac says
Well technology journalism is such a competitive field and anyone can claim to be a technology journalist. The sad thing is that they usually do.
If you haven’t the journalistic instinct to recognise a good story when it appears then you are no different to those other “technology” journalists who merely recycle press releases and write op-eds that are the equivalent of an ode to lump of green putty you found in your armpit one morning. (H2G reference.)
The handling of problematic registrations is an important aspect of .ie and to date there has been very little discussion of it. The porn.ie and orn.ie cases are good examples of how a poorly thought out reaction can create further issues. But putting porn.ie on the Forbidden list it forced people into other actions. The lack of a clear policy on these domains and other activity is damaging to the credibility of .ie ccTLD.
michele says
John
There are a couple of aspects of the policy that are downright silly.
Some of them are being dealt with, whereas others haven’t been at all.
The entire porn.ie thing is just silly. I tried to register it on multiple occasions until they eventually blocked it.
Michele
John McCormac says
There doesn’t seem to be a policy Michele,
All these applications are dealt with on a case by case basis. That level of uncertainty is not good for the industry.
michele says
John
They refer to 3.4 in the naming policy normally. See one of my previous posts on the subject:
http://www.mneylon.com/blog/archives/2005/07/04/is-the-irish-internet-prudish/
Michele
Justin says
haha, Steve finally got away with it 😉
Louie says
It was bound to happen sooner or later.
frob says
What about pr0n.ie? ;]
Cian says
Oh, we’re all sinners…
> Taps fingers waiting for some bishop to tell us where it all went wrong for little Ireland.