FW: [alac-admin] FYI: Associated Press - Software released to neutralize controversial navigation service
-----Original Message-----
From: Roberto Gaetano [mailto:alac_liaison@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2003 1:15 AM
Subject: Re: [alac-admin] FYI: Associated Press - Software released to
neutralize controversial navigation service
...re-post it in the public list, please?
-----Original Message-----
>
>September 16, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle
>
>SECTION: Business News
>
>LENGTH: 523 words
>
>HEADLINE: Software released to neutralize controversial navigation service
>
>BYLINE: By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer
>
>DATELINE: NEW YORK
>
>BODY:
>
> The developer of software that essentially guides Web surfers sought
>Tuesday
>
>to neutralize a controversial service designed to help users who mistype
>
>Internet addresses.
>
> The Internet Software Consortium, the nonprofit organization that
>develops
>
>BIND software for Internet domain name directories, is writing an "urgent
>patch"
>
>for Internet service providers and others who want to block customers from
>a
>new
>
>Site Finder service from VeriSign Inc.
>
> VeriSign, which keeps the master lists of names ending in ".com" and
>".net,"
>
>launched Site Finder on Monday to steer users to likely alternatives when
>they
>
>type addresses for which no Web site exists.
>
> Though VeriSign gets unspecified revenues from search engine partners
>whose
>
>technology powers Site Finder, company officials described the service as
>
>primarily a navigation tool to help lost Internet users.
>
> Critics, however, say the service eliminates user choice, gives a
>private
>
>company too much control over online commerce and could violate
>longstanding
>
>Internet standards.
>
> VeriSign's service, which affects only ".com" and ".net" names, also
>overrode
>
>similar services offered by several Internet service providers, including
>
>America Online, and through Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser.
>
> The BIND patch allows AOL and others to restore control by identifying
>and
>
>then ignoring data from Site Finder, said Paul Vixie, president of the
>Internet
>
>Software Consortium.
>
> When the patched software receives such data, it will instead pass
>along
>an
>
>"address not found" message.
>
> "We're making this patch available because our customers are screaming
>for
>
>it," Vixie said.
>
> Though running the software update is optional, Vixie expects many
>customers
>
>will. The consortium was testing the patch Tuesday and planned to release
>it
>by
>
>Wednesday.
>
> VeriSign spokesman Brian O'Shaughnessy said Tuesday that individual
>service
>
>providers were free to configure their systems so customers would bypass
>Site
>
>Finder. But he questioned whether releasing a patch to do so would violate
>
>Internet standards.
>
> Vixie acknowledged that it could - standards call for operators like
>VeriSign
>
>to have complete control over their directories - but he said not releasing
>a
>
>patch would create greater chaos.
>
> BIND, a free product, is used by most domain name servers at service
>
>providers, corporations and other networks. Typically, those servers keep
>
>temporary copies of the master directories obtained from VeriSign.
>
> VeriSign estimates that people mistype ".com" and ".net" names some 20
>
>million times daily and cites internal studies showing users prefer
>navigational
>
>help over a generic error message.
>
> Earlier this year, a suburban Washington company called Paxfire Inc.
>tested a
>
>similar service for ".biz" and ".us" names, but the U.S. government and a
>
>private oversight board asked Paxfire to suspend it after a few weeks
>pending a
>
>review, Paxfire chairman Mark Lewyn said.
>
> A similar feature exists with ".museum" names. People who type in
>nonexistent
>
>addresses are offered an index of museum sites.