BugMeNot
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BugMeNot is an Internet service that provides usernames and passwords to let Internet users bypass mandatory free registration on websites. Started in August 2003 by an anonymous person, it aims to allow Internet users to access websites that have registration walls (for instance, that of The New York Times) without the requirement of compulsory registration. This came in response to the increasing number of websites that request such registration. Many Internet users find this to be an annoyance at best and a potential source of spam e-mail at worst. BugMeNot itself parodies these sentiments in its own fake registration form (http://bugmenot.com/register.php) (which does not actually have to be filled out to access their service).
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Use of the service
BugMeNot allows users of their service to add new accounts for sites with free registration. It also encourages users to use such fake e-mail account services as Mailinator and Spamgourmet to create such accounts. However, it does not allow them to add accounts for pay websites, as this could potentially put BugMeNot in legal trouble. BugMeNot also willingly removes accounts for any web site that requests that they do not provide accounts for non-registered users.
To help make access to their service easier, BugMeNot hosts a bookmarklet that can be used with any browser to automatically find a useable account from their service. They also host extensions for the web browsers Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer (the extensions were created by Eric Hamiter and Dean Wilson, respectively) that can accomplish the same.
Temporary shutdown and return
Almost exactly a year after it was created, BugMeNot was shut down temporarily by their provider at that time, Hostgator. The site's creator claimed that he believed the site's host was pressured by websites to shut them down, though Hostgator claimed that the BugMeNot site was repeatedly crashing their servers.Template:Ref
The BugMeNot domain was transferred briefly to another hosting company, dissidenthosting.com, but before the site was set up, it began to redirect visitors to web pages belonging to racist and/or fascist groups. BugMeNot moved again, to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET (http://nearlyfreespeech.net). However, BugMeNot's move to NearlyFreeSpeech.NET further publicized that they also hosted some of the web sites for the British neo-nazi group Combat 18 and their hit list site Redwatch, causing further speculation about possible connections, which both BugMeNot and their host denied. BugMeNot's creator said, "Personally, I don't care if I'm sharing a server with neo-nazis. I might not agree with what they have to say, but the whole thing about freedom of speech is that people are free to speak."Template:Ref
Shortly after BugMeNot returned, reports surfaced that some news sites had begun to attempt to block accounts posted on BugMeNot, though the extent and effectiveness of such efforts is not known.
References
- Delio, Michelle. "Building a Better Mozilla (http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,64085,00.html)". Wired magazine. July 7, 2004.
- Template:NoteMetz, Rachel. "BugMeNot Gets Booted, Restored (http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,64676,00.html)". Wired magazine. August 23, 2004.
- Newcomb, Kevin. "Host: Big Traffic, Not Big Media Responsible for Bugmenot Shutdown (http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3399081)". Clickz Network. August 24, 2004.
- Template:NoteJardin, Xeni. "Bugmenot.com returns, spokesbugperson says some news sites trying to block it (http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/20/bugmenotcom_returns_.html)". Boing Boing. August 20, 2004.
External links
- BugMeNot (http://www.bugmenot.com)
- PC Magazine spotlight (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1554078,00.asp)nl:Bugmenot