North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: [IP] VeriSign prepares to relaunch "Site Finder" -- calls technologists "biased"
At the ISP level, there's nothing inherently wrong with this, IMO; AOL and MSN do it already, as does Microsoft. If your customers don't like it, they are capable of voting with their checkbooks, particularly with dial service; with cable and DSL, the waters are a bit muddier because a cable ISP or LEC could have a captive audience. Verisign's crime against the internet was forcing SiteFinder upon the ENTIRE internet, like it or not, and in the process abusing a resource that had been placed in their care with the trust that it would not be abused for profit. -C On Mon, Feb 23, 2004 at 10:58:39AM -0500, Randall Pigott wrote: > > I am curious what the operational impact would be to network operators if, > instead of Verisign using SiteFinder over all com and net, Verisign or > their technology partner for SiteFinder began coercing a large number of > independent ISPs and network operators to install their form of DNS > redirection at the ISP-level, until all or most of the end-users out there > were getting redirected. > > We have been approached by a guy named Mark Lewyn, president Paxfire, Inc., > the company he claims created the SiteFinder technology and offerred it to > Verisign. Based here in the Washington DC area, he now also wants > individual ISPs to implement his technology of redirection to a web page > for unknown domains as a means of earning click-through revenue, and will > split the take 50/50 "when Paxfire gets paid" > > As a network operator of a fair-sized regional ISP, as well as operators of > arguably the least-expensive nationwide wholesale dial platform for other > ISPs to gain nationwide access, we have been approached by Mr. Lewyn on > behalf of his company Paxfire Inc. He wants our company to come have > meetings at his law firm's offices, consider accepting and implementing his > technology at our local DNS server level, and then supposedly share in the > rich profits when customers get redirected, possibly to web pages featuring > click-through banner ads. He says that this is the exact same techology > (more accurately, he said that it was evolved one step further, I think) > that he sold or licensed to Verisign and that Verisign refers to as > SiteFinder. > > Until now, the identity of the technology and marketing partner who created > SiteFinder has been kept very confidential, so I was surprised to learn > that Mr. Lewyn's company Paxfire Inc. was indeed that partner! > > Further, he claims that Vint Cert himself thinks it is a great idea at the > ISP level to do this, and is one of his advisory board supporters. > > Naturally, with the fracas of last Sept 2003, we are hesitant to give up > any negative caching, essential anti-spam techniques, and suffer other > disruptions that such a redirection service may generate within our > networks whenever a non-existent domain request results in a redirection. > > Is there concern to be raised by network operators over such schemes if > deployed at the individual ISP level, particularly if such technology > becomes widespread? > > Before considering meeting with these guys, we would like to solicit the > opinions of this list to be better equipped to say "no" if indeed "no" is > the right operational and technological decision for the integrity of our > nationwide networks and our interconnection outwards to the rest of the > world's networks. > > Thanks most sincerely, > > Randall Pigott > > At 06:11 PM 2/9/2004, you wrote: > > > From Dave Farber's IP list... > > > > --------------------------- > > > > > >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25819-2004Feb9_2.html > > > >VeriSign Reconsiders Search Service > > > >"Site Finder was not controversial with users, 84 percent of whom said > >they liked it as a helpful navigation service," said Tom Galvin, > >VeriSign's vice president of government relations. "We continue to look > >at ways we can offer the service while addressing the concerns that > >were raised by a segment of the technical community." > > > >Galvin said that the continued opposition stems from "an ideological > >belief by a narrow section of the technological community who don't > >believe you should innovate the core infrastructure of the Internet." > > > >Critics also claim that VeriSign must run the domains as a public > >trust, not a profit-making opportunity. VeriSign is the sole operator > >of the dot-com and dot-net registries under a contract with ICANN. > > > >"I don't begrudge them their profit, but someone in an effectively > >regulated monopoly position shouldn't use their power for their own > >profit, beyond the terms under which the community gave it to them," > >said Steven Bellovin, co-director of the Internet Engineering Task > >Force's Security Area. > > > >Paul Rothstein a law professor at Georgetown University and a paid > >VeriSign consultant, said that the critics have some legitimate > >objections but others are motivated by the scientific and technology > >communities' "bias on policy." > > > >Still, he added, it would be tough for VeriSign to win the public > >relations war because its opponents are highly regarded technologists. > > > >ICANN will reserve judgment until VeriSign decides to relaunch Site > >Finder, said General Counsel John Jeffrey. VeriSign assured ICANN that > >it would give 60 to 90 days' warning to resolve any remaining > >technological problems, Jeffrey said. > > > >In the meantime, ICANN is waiting for a final report on Site Finder > >from its Security and Stability Advisory Committee. Committee Chairman > >Steve Crocker said he doubts that Site Finder can be changed enough > >that it won't threaten the Internet's underlying infrastructure. > > > >"I thought people were relieved that they took it down and it's hard to > >believe that there would be any quietness if they brought it back," > >Crocker said. > > > ><SNIP> > > > >_____Related Coverage_____ > >? > ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles//wp-dyn/articles/A57670-2003Oct7.html> > >VeriSign Service Spawns More Criticism > >(washingtonpost.com, Oct 7, 2003) > > > ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles//wp-dyn/articles/A42107-2003Oct3.html> > >VeriSign Agrees To Shut Down Search Service > >(The Washington Post, Oct 4, 2003) > >? > ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles//wp-dyn/articles/A64437-2003Sep25.html> > >With Site Finder, VeriSign Sparks Internet-wide Criticism > >(washingtonpost.com, Sep 25, 2003) > > > >_____ICANN Headlines_____ > > > ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles//wp-dyn/articles/A13538-2004Feb4.html> > >Congress Eyes Internet Fraud Crackdown > >(washingtonpost.com, Feb 4, 2004) > > > ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles//wp-dyn/articles/A23641-2004Jan16.html> > >XO Owner Again Bids For Telecom > >(The Washington Post, Jan 17, 2004) > > > ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles//wp-dyn/articles/A47327-2003Dec8.html> > >U.N. Sets Aside Debate Over Control of Internet > >(The Washington Post,Dec 9, 2003) > > > ><http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/technology/techpolicy> > >Tech Policy Section > > > >------------------------------------- > > > >Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/ > > > > > >------------- End Forwarded Message ------------- > > > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Gregory Hicks | Principal Systems Engineer > >Cadence Design Systems | Direct: 408.576.3609 > >555 River Oaks Pkwy M/S 6B1 | Fax: 408.894.3400 > >San Jose, CA 95134 | Internet: [email protected] > > > >"The trouble with doing anything right the first time is that nobody > >appreciates how difficult it was." > > > >When a team of dedicated individuals makes a commitment to act as > >one... the sky's the limit. > > > >Just because "We've always done it that way" is not necessarily a good > >reason to continue to do so... Grace Hopper, Rear Admiral, United > >States Navy > > > Attachment:
pgp00042.pgp
|