Is this the first .xxx domain hijack in the wild?

Mark it a zero, dude.

This blog is about, what I believe to be, the first .xxx domain hijacking in the wild.

Yesterday, I discovered that www.popebenedict.xxx has been “hijacked.”  The domain www.popebendict.xxx leads to a website with a banner that proclaims, “Everyone will find Islam”.  The website also states that the domain is for sale, and then lists, menacingly, a list of .xxx domain names related to the current Pope.

In addition to .xxx domains related to Pope Benedict, it also looks as if a great number of domains related to the Catholic Church have also been “hijacked” by domain squatters, or have been sold on the open market.   

There is a number of examples of Catholic related .xxx domain names that were sold on the open market. Some examples are www.catholic.xxx, www.catholicchurch.xxx, and www.catholicism.xxx.

This emphasis on Catholic related domains having been sold in the first place is interesting, considering that ICM Registry LLC has begun reserving other .xxx domains related to organized religions outside of the Catholic Church.

Here are some examples of .xxx domains related to organized religions (other than the Catholic Church) that are currently reserved from .xxx registration by ICM Registry LLC:

www.anglican.xxx, www.baptist.xxx, www.jew.xxx, www.jewish.xxx, www.judaism.xxx www.lutheran.xxx, www.methodist.xxx, www.mormon.xxx, www.presbyterian.xxx

There seems to only be sporadic information on the internet about exactly what .xxx domains are prohibited from registration.  I found this list, for example, but ICM has obviously added a great number of prohibited domains to the list.

Domains such as www.ricksantorum.xxx, www.sarahpalin.xxx and www.mormon.xxx, appear to be blocked from registration, but don't appear on lists of blocked .xxx domains.

Dorky?  Yes.  Interesting?  Yes.  I'd like to take this opportunity to document the first (I think) .xxx domain name hijacking out in the wild.  There's been one or two examples in the past, but nothing like this, to my knowledge.

ICM Registry should probably be a little more proactive, protecting religious organizations, as they go about peddling porno domain names from the comfort of sunny and warm Florida.  

If they need some more examples, here are some which should probably be protected from swindlers trying to make a buck:

www.watchtower.xxx, www.jehovahwitness.xxx, www.lutheran.xxx, www.anabaptist.xxx, www.greekorthodox.xxx, www.russianorthdox.xxx

"What the fuck you talking about man?  What's in the carrier?"