Dirty Political Tricks On The Web
Cross-posted at Beltway Blogroll
Micah Sifry at techPresident calls attention to one that has garnered some attention this week, including from Andrew Sullivan at The Atlantic.
The tactic: Register an unflattering Internet address and point it to a Web site you don't own in order to make a candidate you don't like look bad. The specific episode currently being discussed involves domain names like BarackOsama2008.org being pointed to the same Internet protocol address that hosts HillaryClinton.com.
The take-away from the controversy is this, according to Sifry: "Thanks to the Internet, there are all kinds of new games campaigns can play on each other now, and given the pressure to be first with a story, all kinds of new dangers that a misunderstanding about how the Web works will turn into a serious political story."
Political reporters (and bloggers) beware; don't be fooled by stories that sound too sensational to be true.
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