Editorials & Other Articles

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts) Thu Apr 2, 2015, 02:56 PM Apr 2015

Bogus Hillary Clinton website highlights online perils for 2016 candidates

(Reuters) - Hillaryclinton.org bears the likely Democratic presidential candidate's name, but she would not want supporters to go there: some cyber security experts said this week the site contains malicious software.

The site is registered, not to Clinton, but to an administrator in the Cayman Islands. Its existence underscores the challenge 2016 U.S. presidential hopefuls will face in trying to control their digital brands, more important than ever before as voters increasingly turn to the Internet to learn more about candidates.

An examination by Reuters of domains including the full names of eight Republican and four Democratic hopefuls, ending in .com, .org, .net and .info, showed that only a few of those sites appear to be under the control of the candidates.

The rest are seemingly owned by a hodgepodge of buyers - from self-declared fans of the candidates to anonymous registrants who have "parked" the domains - that is to say owned but unused - for undisclosed reasons.

Read the rest at: `http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/02/us-usa-election-domains-idUSKBN0MT21O20150402

13 replies

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Bogus Hillary Clinton website highlights online perils for 2016 candidates (Original Post) PoliticAverse Apr 2015 OP

Where is her Social Media team? Cosmic Kitten Apr 2015 #1

Squatters. Dr Hobbitstein Apr 2015 #2

Of course it's squatters. Cosmic Kitten Apr 2015 #5

Most likely it was just a parked domain Dr Hobbitstein Apr 2015 #7

If it's just a squatter, she can file to have the domain name transferred to her. nt geek tragedy Apr 2015 #10

Not necessarily... Dr Hobbitstein Apr 2015 #11

I guess it depends where the registrar is located--unclear from the article (to me anyways) geek tragedy Apr 2015 #12

When I did the WHOIS, everything was located in the Dr Hobbitstein Apr 2015 #13

Oh please! People buy up domains all the time, usually years before anyone announces a presidential leftofcool Apr 2015 #3

OK, but why wouldn't a public figure... Cosmic Kitten Apr 2015 #6

Yeah, rookie mistake not Dr Hobbitstein Apr 2015 #8

As a First Lady of the USA... Cosmic Kitten Apr 2015 #9

Hmmm 2naSalit Apr 2015 #4

Cosmic Kitten

(3,498 posts)

1. Where is her Social Media team?

Reply to PoliticAverse (Original post)

Thu Apr 2, 2015, 03:10 PM

Apr 2015

How did she NOT
secure every possible
domain prior to running
in 2016?

Rookie mistakes

Dr Hobbitstein

(6,568 posts)

2. Squatters.

Reply to Cosmic Kitten (Reply #1)

Thu Apr 2, 2015, 03:30 PM

Apr 2015

People buy up domains and sit on them, hoping to cash in when someone wants to buy it. HillaryClinton.org was bought in 2001 (based on the WHOIS search I just did). It hasn't changed ownership, and has finally gone online.

I've seen domains being sold for hundreds of thousands because of squatters.

Cosmic Kitten

(3,498 posts)

5. Of course it's squatters.

Reply to Dr Hobbitstein (Reply #2)

Thu Apr 2, 2015, 05:52 PM

Apr 2015

I'm surprised this
didn't come to light
previously...
like in '08

Nevertheless,
it could be an issue
going forward...
malicious software
and all that.

Dr Hobbitstein

(6,568 posts)

7. Most likely it was just a parked domain

Reply to Cosmic Kitten (Reply #5)

Fri Apr 3, 2015, 09:40 AM

Apr 2015

until recently. It's one thing to pay $15/yr for a domain, it's another to pay to host it. And if you're hosting malicious software, your server PROBABLY isn't located within the US.

I don't think it'll be much of an issue. There was GeorgeWBush.org in the mid 00s. It was a complete parody of GeorgeWBush.com. There was also the gay porn site, WhiteHouse.com.

The big thing is search engines. They go with the big hits, and I can guaran-damn-tee you that the .org isn't a big hit. Your average person will almost ALWAYS type .com. And if you did a google search for Hillary Clinton, the first hit is HillaryClinton.com (her actual site). The malicious .org doesn't even show up in the first 2 pages of results.

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

10. If it's just a squatter, she can file to have the domain name transferred to her. nt

Reply to Dr Hobbitstein (Reply #2)

Fri Apr 3, 2015, 11:02 AM

Apr 2015

Dr Hobbitstein

(6,568 posts)

11. Not necessarily...

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #10)

Fri Apr 3, 2015, 11:07 AM

Apr 2015

People buy up domains all the time and sell them for exorbitant prices. When I worked for a small ad agency, we did a LOT of buying of domains for our clients. There were plenty of times where a client wanted SomeCoolName.com, only to find out it was privately owned with an asking price in the hundreds of thousands. Needless to say, our clients would move on.
Seeing as this domain has been owned since 2001, I'm not sure there's much she can do. And seeing as it's owned by an entity in the Caman Islands, she has no legal recourse in the US, and I'm not sure ICANN can do anything about it either.

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)

12. I guess it depends where the registrar is located--unclear from the article (to me anyways)

Reply to Dr Hobbitstein (Reply #11)

Fri Apr 3, 2015, 11:10 AM

Apr 2015

ICANN proceedings are unpredictable. They certainly could do something about it, questions is would the convened panel do so

Dr Hobbitstein

(6,568 posts)

13. When I did the WHOIS, everything was located in the

Reply to geek tragedy (Reply #12)

Fri Apr 3, 2015, 11:42 AM

Apr 2015

Caymans. But you're right. ICANN is unpredictable. Who knows. IMHO, it's a non-issue. The article states that MANY politicians and public figures have the same problems.

leftofcool

(19,460 posts)

3. Oh please! People buy up domains all the time, usually years before anyone announces a presidential

Reply to Cosmic Kitten (Reply #1)

Thu Apr 2, 2015, 03:37 PM

Apr 2015

Cosmic Kitten

(3,498 posts)

6. OK, but why wouldn't a public figure...

Reply to leftofcool (Reply #3)

Thu Apr 2, 2015, 05:54 PM

Apr 2015

take control
of their "brand" ASAP?

It's a rookie mistake
in Public Relations
and Branding 101

Dr Hobbitstein

(6,568 posts)

8. Yeah, rookie mistake not

Reply to Cosmic Kitten (Reply #6)

Fri Apr 3, 2015, 09:41 AM

Apr 2015

thinking ahead 14 years and buying a domain before the squatter does.

I've worked in PR and branding (and advertising for that matter). Squatters usually own these things before people even think of it. And I'm willing to bet the owner of the domain wanted a LOT of money to purchase it. Marketing 101 says it's not worth buying it.

Cosmic Kitten

(3,498 posts)

9. As a First Lady of the USA...

Reply to Dr Hobbitstein (Reply #8)

Fri Apr 3, 2015, 09:48 AM

Apr 2015

after all the Clinton
White House scandals
it would have been prudent.

Oh wait, she was dead broke!

Prolly couldn't have
afforded the fees, right

Non-issue, just looks
like another fumble...
that's all

2naSalit

(86,646 posts)

4. Hmmm

Reply to PoliticAverse (Original post)

Thu Apr 2, 2015, 03:51 PM

Apr 2015

Cayman Islands... KKKarl Rove has a lot going on there, wouldn't be surprised if it's him or part of the US demolition team he hangs with.

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