Federal website promoting Canadian flight anniversary now advertising prostitutes

[msn]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11...g-prostitutes/

By David Pugliese

A federal government website that promoted Canada’s 100th anniversary of flight is now advertising U.S. and Turkish prostitutes after Transport Canada let its ownership of the domain name lapse.

The site still has logos from sponsors such as National Defence, Transport Canada, Nav Canada and the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada on the main page. But it also has links to websites promoting escorts in Istanbul, Turkey and Washington, D.C. The new owner of the site has left a notice for the federal government that the aviation content is still being kept as it helps draw in Internet viewers.

“To previous domain owner: We bought this domain after expiration so it’s not our fault that you lost it. We put old content for this domain only to avoid losing good quality of it from SEO point of view. If it’s a problem for you contact us ASAP!”

Chuck Black, editor of Commercial Space, an aviation and space industry website, said he phoned Transport Canada 10 days ago on the number highlighted on the website to complain about the situation.

“I was transferred to their communications office where a woman said she had no idea what it was about but she would get back to me within 24 hours,” Black said. He never heard back from the department.

Black said the cost of maintaining the domain name is $11.95 a year, something Transport Canada should have done.

“For 12 bucks a year they might as well have kept it,” said Black, treasurer of Canadian Space Commerce Association.

“It’s a good historical reference. Now it promotes D.C. hookers.”

There are also now other ad links on the site, highlighting flight schools and discount airline seats. Black said the site was registered until December 2009 to Transport Canada so the department could promote 100 years of the country’s aerospace history. The centennial was a major government and industry event, involving air displays, films and other promotion material.

“Transport Canada is a proud member of the board of directors of the Canadian Centennial of Flight Project, which was created to provide support to Canadians who want to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first flight in Canada as well as Canadian accomplishments in civilian and military aviation at home and abroad,” reads the department’s webpage still highlighting the centennial. “Its role is to act as a clearing house for all activities and events that will take place throughout Canada in 2009, and to assist with their coordination, planning, promotion and staging.”

The Transport Canada webpage also has a link to the now-private Centennial of Flight page.

Transport Canada officials were not available for comment.

Ottawa Citizen

[jaydub]

Yikes! ....they still don't get it do they?

There should be someone in the govt. IT dept. that should have made sure they understood the risks of letting it lapse....or keeping it for $10 a year.

[whitebark]

Their continued use of the logos should be enough to make them not only lose the domain name but be open to a nice civil suit. Stupid morons.

[Gerry]

Well...now you know what to do with all those traffic domains that you pick up.

[whitebark]

Well...now you know what to do with all those traffic domains that you pick up.

it's one thing to pick up expired domains and park them and quite another to use copyrighted logos. Such nonsense makes everyone in this business look bad.

[thebutler]

The story is every where online, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail etc. I found it in Google news.

[Maxwell]

Their continued use of the logos should be enough to make them not only lose the domain name but be open to a nice civil suit. Stupid morons.

Showing content which is anything to do with whoever may have had an interest in the domain in the past, or may have a claim of their own "legitimate interest" when you as the domain owner have none, is a bad idea period. Showing completely unrelated content is the way to go.