Citing "unprecedented" opposition to the establishment of .xxx as a new domain name suffix for pornography sites, the U.S. government has requested that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to postpone approving the new domain, writes the AP. Michael D. Gallagher, assistant secretary for communications and information at the Commerce Department, has called on ICANN to "ensure the best interests of the Internet community as a whole are fully considered."

He said Commerce has received some 6,000 letters and emails objecting to the designation of a domain suffix for pornography, expressing concern regarding its impact on families and children.

A final decision on the fate .xxx will not be taken until September, writes CNET, as ICANN's board of directors said it would delay a vote until its next meeting on September 15. That move was expected after ICM Registry, the Florida company that would operate .xxx, agreed on Monday to a month's delay, saying the additional time would permit it to assuage concerns about the domain.

Approval of the domain name had been expected as early as Tuesday, five years after it was first proposed and two months after ICANN gave it preliminary approval. The Commerce Department has veto power over ICANN decisions because of the U.S. government's role in developing the internet and selecting ICANN in 1998 to administer domain names.

Two in five Internet users visited an adult site in April, according to comScore, which says four percent of all web traffic and two percent of all surfing time involves adult sites.