Portugal ? On the eve of a key vote today, government advisers from around the world are raising concerns about creating a “.xxx” address for pornographic Web sites.

Janis Karklins, chairman of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ Governmental Advisory Committee, said Thursday that a such a domain name might inadvertently leave ICANN in the business of content regulation, “which would be inconsistent with its technical mandate.”

The Canadian government had raised such fears in an online ICANN forum earlier.

The GAC recommendation, following similar concerns raised last March, is by no means binding, but it carries a lot of weight with ICANN’s board.

A vote was scheduled today as weeklong meetings conclude here. The board’s 15-voting members could approve it, reject it outright or reject it but leave room for a revised proposal to return.