The Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, today said that webmasters with websites dedicated to pornography will be able to purchase .xxx domain names and setup a potential "red light" area on the Internet.

Internet experts said this will come as a positive move when it comes to protecting children online, as filters will be able to better block specific domain names based on the website’s suffix.

ICM Registry Inc., company that oversees the domain management of .xxx sites, said sex sites will not be required to move to .xxx domains. This is mainly a choice for those who want to clearly label themselves as a sexually explicit source, said ICM Registry.

One such example of this is Playboy’s decision to stick with its .com website.

Although Internet experts welcome this domain due to underage abuse, Child-safety advocate Donna Rice Hughes disagrees. "It's a nice little red-light district for the pornographers, but I don't think it's going to do anything to protect kids," said Hughes, President, Enough is Enough. "It's not going to make filters work any better."

Internet research groups said pornography currently accounts for 10 percent of online traffic, and there are approximately one million websites that offer sexually explicit content.

ICANN commented that it takes about six to nine months to finalize the approval, and then it will be up to ICM to manage such domains.

.xxx isn’t the only domain that is being approved recently, ICANN is also in the process of potentially approving .jobs and .travel domains for employment and travel websites.

According to reports, a company called New.net already retails .xxx domains, but they haven’t been such a success as none of the browsers support it.