Web site named al qaeda disavowed by Dems and GOP
By By M.E. SPRENGELMEYER
Scripps Howard News Service
October 08, 2004
- Want to make a campaign contribution to President Bush or Sen. John Kerry? Until late Friday, you could consult "al qaeda."
Both major political parties scrambled to distance themselves from a Web site named after the notorious terrorist network because it had been including strategically placed links to both candidates' fund-raising pitches.
"We're puzzled," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Christine Iverson said after spotting the ad on www.alqaeda.com.
"This is one thing we both have in common," Democratic National Committee spokesman Nick Shapiro agreed. "I suspect neither of us have anything to do with it."
The ad site changed dramatically on Friday after the Rocky Mountain News began inquiring with companies and organizations listed under the heading "sponsored results."
The original page was innocuous-looking, even boring.
It included a photograph of two smiling boys on a beach above a list of categories loosely related to the terrorist network behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Clicking on "War on Terror" led visitors to a short list including a link to a Republican National Committee fund-raising pitch stressing President Bush's efforts on homeland security.
Clicking on "Politics" led visitors to a Democratic National Committee link raising money to boost Kerry.
But wait a minute.
Clicking "Bin" (apparently short for terrorist leader Osama bin Laden) led to a retailer who specializes in storage bins. Clicking "Revolution" took people to sites hawking a pet medication by that name. The "War on Terror" link also led to anti-terrorism training at Colorado Technical University.
University President Michael Bashum was initially amused, then horrified by the idea his school appeared to be advertising on the "al Qaeda" site.
"I'll tell you what. I'm calling quickly," he said Thursday.
He and other customers contacted companies that handle their Internet advertising in hopes of getting the ads cancelled.
So what happened?
The sponsor results for several categories appeared to be identical to those one would get by searching www.yahoo.com for the same terms.
Late Friday, Yahoo! affiliate company Overture released a statement saying it had pulled all its ads from www.alqaeda.com.
"Overture serves listings to information aggregators operating multiple sites," the written statement said. "We've reviewed the matter and concluded this site is solely a source of information and we do not believe the site is affiliated with or endorses terrorist organizations. However, we understand the sensitivities our advertiser has expressed and have taken steps to remove our search listings from the site."
As of Friday, some visitors had difficulty logging on to the Web site.
The Web site registrant, a man in Italy named Michele Dinoia, said he did not know what all the fuss was about.
"It's just a name. It does not have anything to do with al Qaeda," he said in a phone interview. "We are a Web site company. We have a lot of domain names. We send visitors to a search engine . . . We own every kind of domain name that can generate traffic."
Organizations for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack declined to comment Friday. DNC spokesman Shapiro said the Web site name was inappropriate.
"I don't think anybody should be profiting on what al Qaeda has done to this country," Shapiro said. "I think this whole issue is one of heartache in this country."
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(Reach M.E. Sprengelmeyer at sprengelmeyerm(at)shns.com)
By By M.E. SPRENGELMEYER
Scripps Howard News Service
October 08, 2004
- Want to make a campaign contribution to President Bush or Sen. John Kerry? Until late Friday, you could consult "al qaeda."
Both major political parties scrambled to distance themselves from a Web site named after the notorious terrorist network because it had been including strategically placed links to both candidates' fund-raising pitches.
"We're puzzled," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Christine Iverson said after spotting the ad on www.alqaeda.com.
"This is one thing we both have in common," Democratic National Committee spokesman Nick Shapiro agreed. "I suspect neither of us have anything to do with it."
The ad site changed dramatically on Friday after the Rocky Mountain News began inquiring with companies and organizations listed under the heading "sponsored results."
The original page was innocuous-looking, even boring.
It included a photograph of two smiling boys on a beach above a list of categories loosely related to the terrorist network behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Clicking on "War on Terror" led visitors to a short list including a link to a Republican National Committee fund-raising pitch stressing President Bush's efforts on homeland security.
Clicking on "Politics" led visitors to a Democratic National Committee link raising money to boost Kerry.
But wait a minute.
Clicking "Bin" (apparently short for terrorist leader Osama bin Laden) led to a retailer who specializes in storage bins. Clicking "Revolution" took people to sites hawking a pet medication by that name. The "War on Terror" link also led to anti-terrorism training at Colorado Technical University.
University President Michael Bashum was initially amused, then horrified by the idea his school appeared to be advertising on the "al Qaeda" site.
"I'll tell you what. I'm calling quickly," he said Thursday.
He and other customers contacted companies that handle their Internet advertising in hopes of getting the ads cancelled.
So what happened?
The sponsor results for several categories appeared to be identical to those one would get by searching www.yahoo.com for the same terms.
Late Friday, Yahoo! affiliate company Overture released a statement saying it had pulled all its ads from www.alqaeda.com.
"Overture serves listings to information aggregators operating multiple sites," the written statement said. "We've reviewed the matter and concluded this site is solely a source of information and we do not believe the site is affiliated with or endorses terrorist organizations. However, we understand the sensitivities our advertiser has expressed and have taken steps to remove our search listings from the site."
As of Friday, some visitors had difficulty logging on to the Web site.
The Web site registrant, a man in Italy named Michele Dinoia, said he did not know what all the fuss was about.
"It's just a name. It does not have anything to do with al Qaeda," he said in a phone interview. "We are a Web site company. We have a lot of domain names. We send visitors to a search engine . . . We own every kind of domain name that can generate traffic."
Organizations for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack declined to comment Friday. DNC spokesman Shapiro said the Web site name was inappropriate.
"I don't think anybody should be profiting on what al Qaeda has done to this country," Shapiro said. "I think this whole issue is one of heartache in this country."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Reach M.E. Sprengelmeyer at sprengelmeyerm(at)shns.com)
