Editing BugMeNot

{{Short description|Internet service}}
{{for|the 2005 Chinese film|Bug Me Not!}}
{{Infobox website
| name            = BugMeNot
| logo            =
| screenshot      = BugMeNot homepage screenshot.png
| screenshot_size = 300px
| caption         = The homepage of the website in February 2021
| url             = {{official URL}}
| commercial      =
| type            = [[Online database]]
| language        = English
| registration    = None
| owner           =
| author          = Guy King
| launch_date     = {{Start date and age|2003|8}}
| current_status  = <!-- do NOT state it is defunct without confirmation on talk page -->
| revenue         = 
}}
'''BugMeNot''' is<!-- do NOT state it is defunct without confirmation on talk page --> an [[Internet]] service that provides [[username]]s and [[password]]s allowing Internet users to bypass mandatory free registration on [[website]]s. It was started in August 2003 by an anonymous person, later revealed to be Guy King,<ref>Edmund Tardos (October 8, 2007) ''[http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/the-brains-behind-bugmenot/2007/10/08/1191695798003.html Revealed: the brains behind Bugmenot]'', Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax, Accessed 2007-10-08.</ref> and allowed Internet users to access websites that have registration walls (for instance, that of ''[[The New York Times]]'') with the requirement of compulsory registration. This came in response to the increasing number of websites that request such registration, which many Internet users find to be an annoyance and a potential source of [[email spam]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2004/07/we-dont-need-no-stinkin-login/|title=We don't need no stinkin' login|magazine=Wired|date=20 July 2004|first=Rachel |last=Metz}}</ref>

==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 [[disposable email address]] services to create such accounts. However, it does not allow them to add accounts for paid websites, as this could potentially lead to [[credit card fraud]].<ref>Frequently Asked Questions - Bugmenot.com. . URL:{{cite web |url=http://www.bugmenot.com/faq.php |title=Frequently Asked Questions - Bugmenot.com |access-date=July 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805181522/http://bugmenot.com/faq.php |archive-date=August 5, 2013 }}. Accessed: 2013-07-04. (Archived by WebCite® at )</ref> BugMeNot also claims to remove accounts for any website, requesting 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 usable account from their service. They also host extensions for the [[web browser]]s [[Mozilla Firefox]] (but not on Firefox quantum yet), [[Internet Explorer]], and [[Google Chrome]] (the extensions were created by Eric Hamiter with Dmytri Kleiner and Dean Wilson, respectively).{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}} There are also implementations in the form of a BugMeNot [[Opera Widgets|Opera widget]], or [[Features of the Opera web browser#User JavaScript|UserJS]] scripts along with buttons, which makes it fully browser-integrated. An [[Android (operating system)|Android]] application is also available.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bug Me Not for Android|url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aboutmycode.bugmenot|work=BugMeNot on Google Play}}</ref>

=== Opting out ===
[[File:Original BugMeNot homepage.png|250px|right|thumb|The original BugMeNot website]]
BugMeNot provides an option for site owners to block their site from the BugMeNot database, if they match one or more of the following criteria:<ref>{{cite web|title=Block A Site |url=http://bugmenot.com/report.php |website=Bugmenot.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013081605/http://bugmenot.com/report.php |archive-date=October 13, 2007 }}</ref>

* A community site where users register to change content, but not to view it (example: [[Wikipedia]])
* The site is pay-per-view
* There is a fraud risk associated with the site due to accounts containing private financial information

No option is provided for users to request removing a block if a site ceases to meet the blocking criteria or has never met them in the first place.

Site blocking can be circumvented by BugMeNot users by publishing usernames and passwords under a similar, but different, domain name to which they apply. For example, the owners of the domain abc.def.com might request a block to be put in place, but this will not prevent users uploading access information under the name of def.abc.com. Since one domain owner cannot demand that another domain be blocked, the information remains and is accessibly provided that BugMeNot users tacitly agree that def.abc.com in fact refers to abc.def.com.{{Original research inline|date=November 2013}} For example, Wikipedia logins are in the database under wikipedia.net because wikipedia.com and wikipedia.org have been banned under the first criterion.<ref>{{Cite web|title = wikipedia.net passwords - BugMeNot|url = http://bugmenot.com/view/wikipedia.net|website = bugmenot.com|access-date = 2015-10-05}}</ref>

==Temporary shutdown and return ==
Nearly a year after it was created, BugMeNot was shut down temporarily by its service provider (at that time), [[HostGator]]. The site's creator claimed BugMeNot's host was pressured by websites to shut them down, though Hostgator claimed that the BugMeNot site was repeatedly crashing their servers.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Metz|first= Rachel|url=http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/08/64676|title=BugMeNot Gets Booted, Restored|magazine= [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=August 23, 2004}}</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 groups, without the knowledge or consent of the site's owner. BugMeNot moved again, to [[NearlyFreeSpeech|NearlyFreeSpeech.NET]]. BugMeNot's move to this provider, which also hosts a number of highly controversial sites, prompted BugMeNot's creator to say, "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."<ref>[[Xeni Jardin|Jardin, Xeni]]. "[http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/20/bugmenotcom_returns_.html Bugmenot.com returns, spokesbugperson says some news sites trying to block it] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040831033223/http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/20/bugmenotcom_returns_.html |date=August 31, 2004 }}". ''[[Boing Boing]]''. August 20, 2004.</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, as well as compliance with BugMeNot's Terms of Use,<ref>BugMeNot. "[http://www.bugmenot.com/terms.php Terms of Use]". Accessed April 8, 2006.</ref> are not known.

==RetailMeNot==
The operators of BugMeNot expanded the "MeNot" network in October 2006 with the addition of [[RetailMeNot]]&nbsp;– a service for finding and sharing online coupon codes.  Users can add coupons they have found through any method, as well as a description of the coupon and an expiration date. Users can also scan in printed coupons and upload them for others to print.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*Delio, Michelle. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20041207145648/http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0%2C1377%2C64085%2C00.html Building a Better Mozilla]". ''[[Wired magazine]]''. July 7, 2004.
*Newcomb, Kevin. "[http://www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3399081 Host: Big Traffic, Not Big Media Responsible for Bugmenot Shutdown]". ''Clickz Network''. August 24, 2004.
*"[http://www.bugmenot.com/faq.php Bugmenot Faq ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805181522/http://bugmenot.com/faq.php |date=2013-08-05 }}". April 26, 2006.

== External links ==
* {{Official site}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugmenot}}
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2003]]
[[Category:Online databases]]