Microsoft Tool To Help Users Avoid Typo Domains

blueZ3 writes "ZDnet is running a story on a new tool from Microsoft that aims to inform users when they reach 'typo domains'. Apparently, there's concern in Redmond that IE users are being exploited by companies running ad farms on typo domains. The tool uses an automated search routine to look for domains with particular types of typographical errors--transpositions, incorrect TLDs, missing letters--and then adds the domains to a database. The eventual goal (though this isn't clear from the article) seems to be something akin to Verisign's URL redirecting, where typo domains are blocked."

Comments

I can see it now.

[Rodness]

Hi, it looks like you're trying to visit a website! You typed: www.apple.com, did you mean:

• www.microsoft.com
• www.msn.com
• www.allyourbasearebelongtomicrosoft.com

Or type what you want in this box and we'll send you wherever we feel like. [ ]

Re:Misspelled domain data

[Mistshadow2k4]

I must agree. If this tool reports back to Microsoft, I wouldn't recommend it to my customers. On the other hand, if it didn't and only protected you from winding up at bad sites (like the goggle.com mentioned below) it would be good. Problem is, can we trust Microsoft not to make it report home and to keep the blacklist up to date? I rather doubt it.

It seems to me that perhaps someone could make an open source equivalent. It wouldn't be that difficult, since you could use some of the same blocklists that protowall and peer guardian use -- you could probably ask them to tag such sites or even make a separate list for them (the bluetack lists for protowall are already divided into several categories). Too bad I don't know jack about programming.