There’s something fishy afoot…

It appears that Microsoft have hijacked / legitimately gained hold of a pretty important part of the domain name system (DNS). Let me explain: click this link (opens in a new window): http://http://www.test.com. Where do you end up?

Yes, that’s right, microsoft.com. Somehow they have managed to get the right domain name, or part of the DNS system, so that badly-typed links go straight to them. That is bad news, because the web doesn’t belong to Microsoft, it belongs to all of us. It reminds me of the tactic of a certain organisation not long ago who hijacked the DNS ystem for their own nefarious purposes. It didn’t work then, and I hope it doesn’t work now.

I found this when clicking a couple of slightly wrong links over at Andy Budds website. Try any mix of http://http[anything you like], I think it will work the same for you – no matter what browser you are using. If any of you don’t get the same effect please let me know.

Something must be done, and fast. Microsoft: you are badly out of order.

Update: OK, I must be going mad. I tried this on another machine, lo and behold I wasn’t sent to Microsoft. I was sent to Google. I must be going mad. But then you, and I, knew that already.