data request on Sitefinder

Mon Oct 20 15:35:14 UTC 2003

At 5:22 PM +0200 10/20/03, Jeroen Massar wrote:
>
>
>Ahem, so Verisign wants to change the complete working of the
>internet with the currently installed base because they want
>to gather all the typo's??? Are they going to pay us the money
>for upgrading/verification/checking/testing etc?
>
>Fix the Webbrowsers, which in most cases already support the
>functionality their 'application' gives. If Verisign wants
>the webbrowsing folk to use their 'sitefinder technology'
>then they should take a share in Microsoft, AOL, Opera and
>a number of other companies and pursuade them to include it.

Given that this functionality does exist in web browsers, there's the 
flavor of monopolistic competition that may be vulnerable to 
antitrust action.

>
>Don't change something that doesn't need fixing.
>(Ignoring the spam thing :)
>
>*if* Verisign gets it through that the installed base has
>to bend over because they introduce such a thing it would
>be a very bad thing for the internet as a whole and it would
>really mean that the internet is yet another commercial
>thing controlled by one single entity.

Look at the interview with Verisign's CEO at 
http://news.com.com/2008-7347-5092590.html?tag=nefd_gutspro, and I 
think you'll see that your "what it would really mean" is exactly 
Verisign's position.