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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."
The article isn't entirely clear whether the app reports back to MS your web surfing locations. Granted, it could be useful to see what the user is commonly misspelling, but at the same time, I really have no interest in relinquishing this information.
Jim -- http://www.runfatboy.net/ -- A workout plan that doesn't feel like homework.
"www.google.com"
Did you mean "search.msn.com"?
There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
:wq
This sounds like a great idea, but I can see some legitimate causes being harmed. For instance, Untied.com is a typo of United, which is used to protest some labor practices at United Airlines.
I guess the question is, how is MS going to determine the legitimate misspellings from the illegitimate misspellings? Certainly United doesn't like the misspelling above, but it's not anti-consumer like misspelling a company name and winding up at a spam site, or worse yet, a phishing site. -- Paul
OpenSource.MathCancer.org: open source comp bio
Is this a strategic swipe at Google's ad revenue for parked domains?
PimpMyMazda.com - Crazy mods to a 2002 Mazda Protege DX.
Ending up at a link farm isn't any fun, but at least it's not dangerous. But you're told to type URLs from email rather than copy-and-paste, and then you risk being screwed by your own typo. Even going to your own bank is risky if you type without consciously typo-checking the URL.
Stupid parents to have their son's name collide with phonetics of Microsoft.
On se Internetz nobody noes your German.
It may not look like it, but this is a strategic move against Google.
Google makes a significant amount of money of bulk domainers. Domainers are people who buy domains in bulk, expecting to make revenue off inexperienced users tying words directly into the URL bar, variations/misspellings on popular domain names etc). An example is something like http://www.bloggerforums.com/.
By making users aware of what's going on, they'll be more likely to fix the problem themself (instead of clicking one of the sponsored links by Google), thus cutting a part of the revenue stream. (How big? Well, Google obviously isn't going to say, but it's estimated to be way into the hundred of millions.)
There is a much easier way to block 99% of the typosquatters - they have a very small number of IP addresses they park their domains on.
Block those IP addresses, block the squatters.
Check it out for yourself - fire up your favorite DNS query tool, and plug in some typos.
www.eFax.com are spammers
will typing pron.com send me to porn.com? or vice-versa?
Tom
Innovation makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old regime... -- Machiavelli
Microsoft domain corrector has detected that you may have mis-typed your desination address.
You were trying to access, "whitehouse.gov".
Did you really mean, "whitehouse.com"?
Hi there, I noticed you are about to visit a TLD web-site.
The address www.apple.com/macosx appears to be a misspelling of the address of a legitimate site http://www.microsoft.com/Genuine/.
Sites that use spelling variations of legitimate sites and companies may be used in "phishing" schemes to trick users into revealing their access accounts, credit card data, and other personal information.