Whitehouse.com
Encyclopedia
whitehouse.com was an adult
and political entertainment
website
that first came online in 1997. According to a statement on the web, it was originally created by Ransom Scott as a place where uncensored discussion of government policies could occur before adult content was added to make it more profitable. More recently, the adult content has been eradicated.
(www.whitehouse.gov) could easily go to the adult website instead. Although .gov
as a top-level domain
is available only to official government sites in the United States, .com is a much more common ending on the web and is frequently entered by mistake. In addition, many web browsers add ".com" to the end of an address if no suffix is entered, so simply typing "whitehouse" into the address bar would lead one to whitehouse.com. Because of the explicit and commercial content of the site, it was frequently cited as one of the most egregious examples of domain name
misuse, up until the domain was sold.
The website whitehouse.org
, a humor site that formerly satirized
the former U.S. president
George W. Bush, remains controversial for similar reasons, although less so because its content is usually much less explicit.
In 2006, PC World ranked Whitehouse.com #13 on its list "The 25 Worst Web Sites".
letter stating, "... we do not challenge your right to pursue it or to exercise your First Amendment rights, but we do challenge your right to use the White House, the President, and the First Lady as a marketing device. For adult internet users, that device is, at the least, part of a deceptive scheme. For younger Internet users, it has more disturbing consequences." The letter had no effect and the site stayed up.
the next year. At this point he was making US$
1 million annually from the site alone. Parisi had said he did not want to sell the domain name to anyone in the adult entertainment industry, and even claimed to have turned down what was essentially a blank check from a buyer hiding his identity behind his broker.
In November 2005, the domain appeared to be used for a real estate
site. In December 2005 it contained only Google
ads, with a notice that a site for investigating people by checking their public records would be coming.
In March 2006, whitehouse.com called itself "America's Free Speech Forum". It advertised a cartoon contest and presented links to Associated Press
political news stories.
In July 2006, the site was a real estate site again, and forwarded to www.house.com.
As of November 2006, was a search engine for people, which searched over 90 million White Pages listings and 14 million Yellow Pages
listings.
As of June–October 2007, the site has once again changed and now claims to be "your source for up-to-date information to help you keep track of the major party candidates for President."
Until recently, the domain redirected to the previous real estate website again. The site was being used for home loan remodification and debt consolidation, with the disclaimer reading that is not "affiliated or endorsed by the U.S. Government".
As of September 2009, the site was a local New Jersey-centered video hosting site. The site's main purpose was to host videos of local town hall meetings in New Jersey.
As of July 2010, the site was a blank page with large black letters stating, "Future site of WhiteHouse.com" with no other information or link.
As of Sept 2010, the site returned with the Banner Heading of WhiteHouseLawyers.com. The site's purported main purpose was to provide a search portal for personal injury / disability lawyers based on users location. But upon testing user input including name, phone, state, and e-mail, no listing of lawyers was provided. Later that month the site advertised financial aid opportunities.
As of June 2011, the site again redirected to www.house.com.
As of July 2011, the domain had lapsed, redirecting to a domain squatter.
s led the United States government
to the passage of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act
. The ACPA, however, protects only the registration of trademarks as domain names and would not help the U.S. government with the registration of the names of its offices or agencies.
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
and political entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that first came online in 1997. According to a statement on the web, it was originally created by Ransom Scott as a place where uncensored discussion of government policies could occur before adult content was added to make it more profitable. More recently, the adult content has been eradicated.
Controversy
Part of the controversy about whitehouse.com was that users (especially minors in most cases) wishing to visit the website of the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
(www.whitehouse.gov) could easily go to the adult website instead. Although .gov
.gov
The domain name gov is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from government, indicating its restricted use by government entities in the United States. The gov domain is administered by the General Services Administration , an independent...
as a top-level domain
Top-level domain
A top-level domain is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For all domains in lower levels, it is the last part of the domain name, that is, the last label of a...
is available only to official government sites in the United States, .com is a much more common ending on the web and is frequently entered by mistake. In addition, many web browsers add ".com" to the end of an address if no suffix is entered, so simply typing "whitehouse" into the address bar would lead one to whitehouse.com. Because of the explicit and commercial content of the site, it was frequently cited as one of the most egregious examples of domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
misuse, up until the domain was sold.
The website whitehouse.org
Whitehouse.org
Whitehouse.org is a parody website that Chickenhead Productions created in 2001, though the domain was first registered in 1995. The banner at the top of the website's front page read: "THE WHITE HOUSE" "OFFICIOUS WEBSITE OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH". The website is a parody of former U.S....
, a humor site that formerly satirized
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
the former U.S. president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush, remains controversial for similar reasons, although less so because its content is usually much less explicit.
In 2006, PC World ranked Whitehouse.com #13 on its list "The 25 Worst Web Sites".
Opposition
In December 1997, the Clinton administration sent Dan Parisi a cease and desistCease and desist
A cease and desist is an order or request to halt an activity and not to take it up again later or else face legal action. The recipient of the cease-and-desist may be an individual or an organization....
letter stating, "... we do not challenge your right to pursue it or to exercise your First Amendment rights, but we do challenge your right to use the White House, the President, and the First Lady as a marketing device. For adult internet users, that device is, at the least, part of a deceptive scheme. For younger Internet users, it has more disturbing consequences." The letter had no effect and the site stayed up.
Current status
In 2004 Dan Parisi decided to sell the domain, mainly because of his son who would be in kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
the next year. At this point he was making US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1 million annually from the site alone. Parisi had said he did not want to sell the domain name to anyone in the adult entertainment industry, and even claimed to have turned down what was essentially a blank check from a buyer hiding his identity behind his broker.
In November 2005, the domain appeared to be used for a real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
site. In December 2005 it contained only Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
ads, with a notice that a site for investigating people by checking their public records would be coming.
In March 2006, whitehouse.com called itself "America's Free Speech Forum". It advertised a cartoon contest and presented links to Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
political news stories.
In July 2006, the site was a real estate site again, and forwarded to www.house.com.
As of November 2006, was a search engine for people, which searched over 90 million White Pages listings and 14 million Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
listings.
As of June–October 2007, the site has once again changed and now claims to be "your source for up-to-date information to help you keep track of the major party candidates for President."
Until recently, the domain redirected to the previous real estate website again. The site was being used for home loan remodification and debt consolidation, with the disclaimer reading that is not "affiliated or endorsed by the U.S. Government".
As of September 2009, the site was a local New Jersey-centered video hosting site. The site's main purpose was to host videos of local town hall meetings in New Jersey.
As of July 2010, the site was a blank page with large black letters stating, "Future site of WhiteHouse.com" with no other information or link.
As of Sept 2010, the site returned with the Banner Heading of WhiteHouseLawyers.com. The site's purported main purpose was to provide a search portal for personal injury / disability lawyers based on users location. But upon testing user input including name, phone, state, and e-mail, no listing of lawyers was provided. Later that month the site advertised financial aid opportunities.
As of June 2011, the site again redirected to www.house.com.
As of July 2011, the domain had lapsed, redirecting to a domain squatter.
See also
This type of behavior with trademarkTrademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s led the United States government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
to the passage of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act
Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act
The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act ', 15 U.S.C. § 1125, is an American law enacted in 1999 and established a cause of action for registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name confusingly similar to, or dilutive of, a trademark or personal name...
. The ACPA, however, protects only the registration of trademarks as domain names and would not help the U.S. government with the registration of the names of its offices or agencies.
- typosquattingTyposquattingTyposquatting, also called URL hijacking, is a form of cybersquatting, and possibly brandjacking which relies on mistakes such as typographical errors made by Internet users when inputting a website address into a web browser...
- whitehouse.orgWhitehouse.orgWhitehouse.org is a parody website that Chickenhead Productions created in 2001, though the domain was first registered in 1995. The banner at the top of the website's front page read: "THE WHITE HOUSE" "OFFICIOUS WEBSITE OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH". The website is a parody of former U.S....
External links
- whitehouse.com
- Letter from the White House
- Pelline, Jeff. "Whitehouse.com goes to porn." September 5, 1997.