Network Solutions Reach for the Depths

There is something of a Wild West mentality to ethics on the Internet; which has its good and bad points.  Most blogs struggle to make ends meet or lose money.  This blog is in the latter category and I am fine with that; the end goal is to get this thing in the black and I will one day, I am sure of that.  The thing is that Internet business is hard, it is competitive and it is cut throat; we don't need to be hamstrung or exploited by the very companies that we turn to for hosting, yet we are.

Network Solutions was in the news not all that long ago for front running or domain kiting as it is sometimes called.  The practice works like this: you go to their site and start hunting down domain names.  Whatever you type in, they register, Network Solutions would have you know that they do this to protect you. They charge a premium for the service, which if you ask me is nothing short of exploitation.  If you wait for a reasonably short period of time they do release the domain, but why should you have to wait?  When I heard the news I was flabbergasted; Network Solutions is a very large hosting provider, why would they need to do things that way?

Flash forward to today, where I am browsing a bunch of miscellaneous feeds.  Network Solutions caught my eye again and I decided to investigate.  It seems that they are domain parking on people's sub domains and earning money from them.  Don't worry, the user signs away any right to complain in their 59,000 word user agreement:

"You also agree that any domain name directory, sub-directory, file name or path (e.g.) that does not resolve to an active web page on your Web site being hosted by Network Solutions, may be used by Network Solutions to place a "parking" page, "under construction" page, or other temporary page that may include promotions and advertisements for, and links to, Network Solutions' Web site, Network Solutions product and service offerings, third-party Web sites, third-party product and service offerings, and/or Internet search engines. You agree that Network Solutions may change the content and/or appearance of, or disable any of these temporary pages at any time, in its sole discretion, and without prior notice."

Filthy business for some, for Network Solutions it seems very much to be business as usual.  I ask myself continually why they are so popular and why people use them and continually I am stumped.  There are plenty of better hosts out there that play fair.

Source: The Register