Domain name censorship?
Under internic.net, domain names were distributed through an automated system. Beginning
in 1996, Network Solutions began restricting the distribution of domain names containing
a number of words on a "restricted list" through an automated filter. The filter
is known to have rejected domain names containing the "least agreeable words in
the English language", including "shit", "piss", "fuck", "cunt", and "cocksucker".
Applicants whose domain names were rejected would receive a form
e-mail containing
the notice: "Network Solutions has a right founded in the First Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution to refuse to register, and thereby publish, on the Internet registry
of domain names words
that it deems to be inappropriate." This filter came under
heavy scrutiny, as legitimate domain names such as "shitakemushrooms.com" would
be rejected, but the domain name "shit.com" was active, as it had been registered
before 1996. Network Solutions eventually allowed domain names containing the words
on a case-by-case basis, after manually reviewing the names for "obscene intent".
This profanity filter was never enforced by the government and was not carried over
to the ICANN organization when they took over governance of the distribution of
domain names to the public.