[wildcard-comments] Verisign DNS hijack

[GX <gx8080@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Internet lives and dies by the standards that have been publicly defined in 
the RFC documents. The RFC process has allowed the public to participate and 
comment on the organization of the Internet (a form of self government). These 
standards form the basis for the social "contract" that allows different types 
of computers, operating systems and devices to properly coexist and communicate 
on the Internet.  The public has not agreed to the changes that Verisign has 
implemented. 

Sure, users who misspell a web address into Microsoft Internet Explorer or 
Netscape Navigator may be redirected to a Microsoft or Netscape site intended 
to help them out. But this can easily be turned off, if the user finds this 
behavior objectionable. In addition, this behavior does not degrade the 
Internet in any way, such as break my e-mail, anti-spam software or other 
applications that were coded to agreed standards. There is a perceived benefit 
for both, part of the user community and the commercial organization.  What 
Verisign has done, is to degrade the entire user community's environment for 
their own commercial interests. Their behavior has no redeeming value to any 
part of the Internet community. There no social good in what Verisign is doing. 
It has intentionally broken the social "contract" and is refusing to stop this 
destructive behavior.  If this behavior continues, VeriSign should be stripped 
of its contract to control the root servers.

If ICANN ultimately decides that the effects of the Verisign Site Finder 
service are not as destructive as the Internet community feels it is, Verisign 
should not be given this valueable "real estate" for free. The public should 
receive some reimbersement for the use of this. This is only fair, because this 
"real estate" was not part of the the original contract (RFCs). It is estimated 
that Verisign will make about $150 million from the Site Finder service.  There 
is enough profit for Verisign to pay for the the use of this "real estate".

Gus Xenakis