A company that plays a key role in managing the Internet's domain system is considering whether to restart a controversial search service that makes money off Web users' typos, a move that threatens to reignite a debate over who controls key segments of the Internet.
Stratton Sclavos, chief executive of VeriSign Inc., told investors in a conference call last month that the company might relaunch its "Site Finder" service as early as April.
Source: Washington Post
SiteFinder can go to hell as far as I am concerned. If I type a URL wrong I like to be able to correct the one or so letters I mistyped, not have to retype the entire thing, as well as be forced to see advertising. Not to mention it is bad for web developers.
The public backlash (again) will (again) kill SiteFinder (again).
If VeriSign considers this again, I hope ICANN tells them to shove it, and while they are at it, ICANN needs to get a back bone and really take it to VeriSign. Verisign needs to be stopped, and ICANN is in a place to do it, if they only would stand up.
From Slashdot: Can we outsource VeriSign to India? Very clever.
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Article comments
1 - TDavid
I think we have now moved all domains from them. It feels good to be gone.
2 - jadester
the irony is that, in my experience, the vast majority of sites that have already made use of domain mis-spellings are, well, not worth the bother. I.e., i seriously doubt they're making their owners much more than the domain registration and hosting costs. Except possibly the porn ones (i haven't had the luck to stumble on one of these yet but i have heard of some =+)