Taylor Swift And Microsoft Snatch Up .Porn Domains To Ward Off Opportunists And Trolls

It may sound strange, but one thing pop music star Taylor Swift and software giant Microsoft have in common is that both are feverishly acquiring .porn and .sucks domains. No, they're not looking to flip their respective brands upside down, nor are they collaborating on a new adult site to rule them all -- they're simply trying to pull the rug out from under the trolls.

As the non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) continues to expand the number of generic top-level domains (gTLDs), .porn and .sucks will both be added to the pool that already include .com, .net, and hundreds of others, up from just 22 back in 2011.

ICANN gives trademarked brands a head start on registering websites with the new domains and have until June 1 before the general public joints the frenzy. It's during this so-called "Sunrise period" that domains like Office.porn, TaylorSwift.porn, Office.adult, and TaylorSwift.adult are being registered by Microsoft and Taylor Swift to ensure that they don't become actual websites.

The reason ICANN keeps expanding gTLDs is because the more descriptive names allow users to arrive at their destination a bit more easily. And as for .porn and .adult, it also makes it easier for parents to block adult-themed sites.

Nevertheless, it can be a bit of a headache for companies and celebrities who want to protect their image. It's a daunting (and expensive) task trying to thwart trolls, and at the end of the day, they'll likely still come up with a domain that wasn't previously thought of, such as TaylorSwiftLoves.porn.