Pope Benedict in .XXX pro-Islam cybersquat drama
Ratz not very nice
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
A Turkish cybersquatter has registered at least a dozen variants of Pope Benedict's name as .xxx internet domains and is using them to promote Islam.
Cybersquatted sites including PopeBenedict.xxx currently proclaim "Everyone will find Islam" alongside pictures of the Quran and Kaaba.
Unsurprisingly, the sites also state that "This Web Site is For Sale".
PopeBenedict.xxx is registered to one Bulent Ozcan, a resident of Turkey, according to Whois records. Other domains evidently squatted by the same person include: josephaloisiusratzinger.xxx, josephaloisiusratzinger.com, benedictus.xxx, benedictxvi.xxx, ratzinger.xxx, xvibenedictus.xxx, xvibenedictus.com benedictusxvi.xxx pontificio.xxx holyfather.xxx and josephratzinger.xxx.
While the pope is not the first person to be cybersquatted in the new .xxx domain – Sir Richard Branson recently recovered richardbranson.xxx from a squatter – this does seem to be the most comprehensive effort to trash an individual by linking their name to .xxx porn (and to promote a "competitor").
The Vatican's quickest option for shutting down the domains might be to file a Rapid Evaluation Service complaint with the National Arbitration Forum, the US body hired by .xxx manager ICM Registry to handle this kind of case.
RES complaints cost $1,300 to file, but cybersquatted domains can be permanently suspended in as little as two working days. Because the policy covers personal names, the Pope won't need to show trademark rights in his name.
However, it would probably be cheaper to file a complaint using the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy, which unlike RES offers bulk discounts, instead.
The Vatican briefly got its cassocks in a twist last December when it mistakenly thought that vatican.xxx had been registered by a cybersquatter.
However, it turned out that the domain had actually been reserved by ICM Registry as a sensitive domain and made unavailable for registration.
Before opening the floodgates to general registrants last December, ICM offered national governments the chance to block culturally or religiously sensitive names. It also unilaterally blocked many religious names it thought might get the company in hot water.
However, while muslim.xxx, christian.xxx, anglican.xxx, jewish.xxx and hindu.xxx have all been registry-reserved, catholic.xxx appears to be registered to an individual hiding behind a Whois privacy service. It does not currently resolve. ®
COMMENTS
Well, there was I,
searching for some quality, hardcore smut, but to no avail. And then it occured to me - what's the one name you associate with quality grumble? Hefner? Flint? Ben Dover? Don't be silly, it's the Pope! Tap-tap-tap on the keyboard, checking out the XXX domain (glad they put that up, or I'd never have known where to find my jazz)... Moments later, I'd been converted to Islam.
What a day.
Re: @Scott
@PatientOne
The list could indeed have been tediously lengthy. I'm not against peeps having religious beliefs, so long as;
A] They don't abuse / indoctrinate the minds of children (under 16yrs) with those ideas.
B] They keep their religion to themselves, at a personal level at all times.
C] No religious leaders get automatic seats in any government institution of what should be an entirely secular state (UK).
D] They don't plead special treatment or what ever for any beliefs or practices they hold.
E] They actually demonstrate their supposed tolerance of each others beliefs /existence for once.
I could go on but no religion will ever get near any of the above and I just wish they would drop the whole anachronism and move from the neolithic age into the modern world. I don't believe you need this mass / organized stuff in order to have a morally just society that knows right from wrong instinctively. And one that is tolerant of peeps who hold those beliefs (see above), but at the same time teaches children about the entire global gamut of theism and atheism alike.
(just saying)
A good muslim?
I wouldn't expect them to be associating themselves with .xxx domains at all really?
IT infrastructure monitoring strategies
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Steps to Take Before Choosing a Business Continuity Partner
Requirements Checklist for Choosing a Cloud Backup and Recovery Service Provider
Data control in the cloud
