Editing Network Solutions (section)

==Controversies==
===Server breach===
In August 2009, Network Solutions notified customers that its servers were breached, and led to the exposure of names, address, and credit card numbers of more than 573,000 people who made purchases on Web sites hosted by the company.<ref name="krebs2009">{{cite news|first=Brian|last=Krebs|date=July 24, 2009|title=Network Solutions Hack Compromises 573,000 Credit, Debit Accounts|work=Security Fix|access-date=October 31, 2019|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/07/network_solutions_hack_comprom.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810231516/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/07/network_solutions_hack_comprom.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> Susan Wade, a spokesperson for Network Solutions, said, "We really feel terrible about this".  At the time of this writing{{when|date=October 2019}}, NSI does not know how their servers were compromised.

===Malware===
One year later in August 2010, Network Solutions discovered that one of their [[GUI widget|widgets]] offered to their domain registration and hosting customers was capable of distributing [[malware]] by sites displaying it.  As many as 5,000,000 of their registered domains may have been affected by the hack.  The affected widget was at least temporarily addressed by Network Solutions, who were able to make changes to the [[Source code|code]] to prevent it from loading.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/201032/6023/500-000-parked-domains-on-Network-Solutions-serving-Malware-Update |title=Network Solutions serving Malware |work=The Tech Herald |date=August 15, 2010 |access-date=2010-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817152941/http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/201032/6023/500-000-parked-domains-on-Network-Solutions-serving-Malware-Update |archive-date=2010-08-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===WebLock Service===
In January, 2014 Network Solutions' marketing department sent an email to customers stating that the company would be automatically enrolling customers in a new security program called WebLock, for an initial charge of $1,850 for the first year and $1,350 each subsequent year. The company claimed the cost offset new security features to protect domains, including registering as a "certified user" and confirmation of configuration changes with those "certified users".<ref name="OptIn">{{Citation
 | last = Brodkin
 | first = Jon
 | title = Domain registrar auto-enrolls customers into $1,850 security service
 | publisher = ArsTechnica
 | date = 22 January 2014
 | url = https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/01/domain-registrar-auto-enrolls-customers-into-1850-security-service/
 | access-date = 29 January 2014}}</ref>

<blockquote>... To help recapture the costs of maintaining this extra level of security for your account, your credit card will be billed $1,850 for the first year of service on the date your program goes live... After that you will be billed $1,350 on every subsequent year from that date. If you wish to opt out of this program you may do so by calling us at 1-888-642-0265.</blockquote>

Web.com COO Jason Teichman later clarified that the program would actually be opt-in, saying "we did not do a good job in wording that [email]" and "It's not our intention to enroll anyone in a program they don't want."<ref name="OptOut">{{cite web|url= http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/22/web-com-weblock-program-will-be-opt-in-not-opt-out/|title=Web.com: WebLock program will be opt-in, not opt-out|publisher=Domain Name Wire|first=Andrew|last=Allemann|date=January 22, 2014|access-date=January 31, 2014}}</ref>

===Publishing Non-Public Information===
In September, 2009, Network Solutions began publishing a list of domain name [[WHOIS]] searches performed by customers and other service users in the past day.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://domainnamewire.com/2009/09/01/network-solutions-displays-customers-whois-queries-to-the-public/ | first=Andrew| last=Allemann| work=Uniregistry Corporate Blog| title=Network Solutions Displays Customers' Whois Queries to the Public| date=2009-09-01 | access-date=2016-02-19}}</ref>

===''Fitna'' controversy===
In March 2008, "Fitnathemovie.com", a website that Dutch politician [[Geert Wilders]] had reserved at Network Solutions, was taken offline. Wilders intended to host a film he had created, ''[[Fitna (film)|Fitna]]''. At that time, the only page on the site was a picture of the Qur'an accompanied by the text "Geert Wilders presents Fitna" and "Coming soon". Network Solutions' notice stated that they were "investigating whether the site's content is in violation of the Network Solutions Acceptable Use Policy".<ref name="bbc">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7310439.stm Dutch Islam film website 'shut'] BBC</ref>  Wilders said the 15-minute film will show how verses from the Qur'an are being used today to incite modern Muslims to behave violently and anti-democratically.<ref name="spectator_interview">{{cite news|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/print/the-magazine/features/553681/a-filmmaker-who-lives-in-the-shadow-of-a-fatwa.thtml|title=A film-maker who lives in the shadow of a fatwa|first=Douglas|last=Murray|work=Spectator.co.uk|date=2008-03-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080331230912/http://www.spectator.co.uk/print/the-magazine/features/553681/a-filmmaker-who-lives-in-the-shadow-of-a-fatwa.thtml|archive-date=2008-03-31}}</ref>

As a result of Network Solutions' decision, "fitnathemovie.com" was not available to the public on the day of the film's release.  Wilders expressed his displeasure with Network Solutions for pre-censoring the domain name.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Network Solutions also came under criticism because although they refused to host Wilders' website, they had provided registration services for the [[Hezbollah]] domain hizbollah.org.<ref>[https://my.mirahost.com/order/viewwhois.php?domain=hizbollah&ext=org Networking Tools<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In response to these criticisms, Network Solutions agreed that hizbollah.org violated their acceptable use policy and ceased hosting that web site, as well.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Due to heavy media coverage, many people were aware of the film's existence and the controversy surrounding its domain name.  Some were outraged by the actions of Network Solutions in dealing with one of its customers.  Freedom of speech protestors created videos commenting on the situation, and some uploaded Wilders' film to social networking sites such as YouTube shortly after its release. Protestors for both sides created their own blogs and video statements on the matter. Anti-censorship protestors took their campaigns to sites such as YouTube in order to alert others of the situation.<ref name="YouTube User">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHlRbczfl_Y Online Protesting] Social Media User Protesting</ref> On March 23, 2008, Brian Krebs of the Washington Post published an article explaining more facts related to the event. Krebs wrote that Network Solutions spokesperson Susan Wade stated that Network Solutions had received several complaints regarding the website, but she did not elaborate on the specific nature of the complaints.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2008/03/networksolutions_precensors_an.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=Network Solutions Pre-Censors Anti-Islam Site | access-date=2010-05-20}}</ref>

===Controversy over subdomain hijacking===
In April 2008, reports indicated that in addition to the aforementioned front-running practices, Network Solutions had begun exploiting an obscure provision of its [[end-user license agreement]] that permits it to use and advertise on its users' unassigned [[subdomain]]s, even despite the registration and private ownership of the top-level domain itself.<ref>{{cite news|title=Network Solutions Hijacking Unassigned Sub-Domains|url=https://techcrunch.com/2008/04/08/network-solutions-hijacking-unassigned-sub-domains/|work=techcrunch.com|access-date=2008-04-12}}</ref> The provision states: <blockquote>
'You also agree that any domain name directory, sub-directory, file name or path (e.g.) that does not resolve to an active web page on your Web site being hosted by Network Solutions, may be used by Network Solutions to place a "[[Domain parking|parking]]" page, "under construction" page, or other temporary page that may include promotions and advertisements for, and links to, Network Solutions' Web site...'"<ref>{{cite web|title=Service Agreement (Schedule A #11)|url=http://www.networksolutions.com/legal/static-service-agreement.jsp|publisher=networksolutions.com|access-date=2008-04-12}}</ref>
</blockquote>
[[Ars Technica]] has documented how to opt out of this scheme,<ref>{{cite web|title=Keeping Network Solutions from cashing in on your subdomains|url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080410-keeping-network-solutions-from-cashing-in-on-your-subdomains.html|website=[[Ars Technica]]|date=April 10, 2008 |access-date=2008-04-12}}</ref> but many{{who|date=June 2014}} private domain holders and privacy advocates cite the move as another step in Network Solutions' series of recent attempts to push the boundaries of profitability and responsibility in its domain practices.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Support and Services (Schedule A #11)|url=http://alldatalabs.com|publisher=alldatalabs.com|access-date=2016-01-04}}</ref>

===''Races.com'' controversy===
According to a Wired.com article, in 1999 Network Solutions bungled the transfer of "races.com", accidentally placing it back into the pool of available domain names. MBA student John McLanahan purchased the domain privately for thousands of dollars. A domain name speculator was able to obtain it, and demanded $500,000 for its return.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/1999/12/32974|title=Domain Winner Loses Big|author=Craig Bicknell|work=WiReD Magazine|date=1999-12-11}}</ref>

===Misleading customers over refunds===
In April 2015, the [[Federal Trade Commission]] announced that Network Solutions had agreed to settle charges that it misled consumers who bought web hosting services by promising a full refund if they canceled within 30 days. In reality, the FTC stated, the company withheld substantial cancellation fees amounting to up to 30 percent of the refund.<ref>{{cite web|title=FTC Obtains Settlement From Network Solutions LLC for Misleading Consumers About Refunds|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2015/04/ftc-obtains-settlement-network-solutions-llc-misleading-consumers|publisher=ftc.gov|access-date=2016-08-23|date=2015-04-07}}</ref>