Political Cybersquatters Parry for Position

Motivations from money and ideology to comedy prompt the Net-savvy to snap up potentially valuable domain names.

David Clarke, Medill News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Ideologues, entrepreneurs, and practical jokers are among the myriad characters who are claiming the domain names of potential 2004 presidential candidates.

Former Vice President Al Gore is contemplating life after the election. His rumored successors for the Democratic presidential nomination are evading questions of whether they'll run. But cybersquatters have already started an informal campaign 2004 watch. Combinations of politicians' names and the year 2004 or something like "forpresident" are being registered as domains, even if most have no Web site posted at the URL.

Domains: A Myriad Source of Dollars

In the past, political cybersquatters have been a curiosity to the public and a pain to candidates. Now, however, with the Internet's continued growth and the possibility of campaign finance reform legislation, political domain names may become more valuable.

For one thing, candidates are increasingly relying on a Web presence to reach voters. Also, pending campaign finance bills would ban unregulated soft money contributions to political parties from unions, corporations, and individuals. That means candidates would rely more on smaller donations, which could be solicited online.

So having a recognizable Web name is important to candidates for raising money--and in turn, the names may be valuable to the people who own them.

The Internet is an effective vehicle for getting small contributions from a lot of people, says Philip Howard, a research fellow at the Pew Internet and American Life Project. In future elections, it could replace or significantly augment some of the more traditional ways of getting donations, such as meet-the-candidate fund-raisers, according to Howard.

"A lot of people don't want to go to these dinners or can't afford $500 a plate," Howard says.

Senator John McCain, R-Arizona, put Internet fund-raising in the spotlight by raising $7.5 million online during his 2000 presidential bid. It was a fair percentage of the total $45 million he raised, including federal matching funds.

"I've always thought the Internet was a good vehicle for getting active populist politics back again," says Rick Davis, McCain's former campaign manager and chair of his current political action committee, Straight Talk America.

Anticipation of the increasing value of political domain names has brought entrepreneurs to the scene.

Political Pundits or Profiteers?

Coy or cautious candidates may find likely URLs are already usurped by the Net savvy. Some are snapping up names in support of candidates or causes, some consider them an investment, and some aren't saying.

"My mission is to educate the electorate through my premium Internet domain properties," Todd Stein writes in an e-mail, his preferred form of communication for interviews. "If a candidate does something in an inadequate or inappropriate fashion, (i.e. taking money from questionable sources), these Web properties can be used to inform the voting public so as to prevent the politician from being elected or reelected as the case may be."

Stein owns many political domain names and is president of Ballotcast.com, a political site he helps maintain. His collection includes some Democrats most rumored to have their eye on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2004. They include www.Kerry2004.com, referring to Senator John Kerry, D-Massachusetts; www.Gephardt2004.com, for Representative Dick Gephardt, D-Misouri; www.Edwards2004.com, assuming Senator John Edwards, D-North Carolina, will run; and www.Biden2004.com, for Senator Joe Biden, D-Delaware.

Stein points to his own political involvement as a reason to own domains, and he says his intent is not to sell--but that he will listen if approached. He describes his politics as "classical liberal" to "conservative." In the past he has heard from an assortment of groups not representing candidates, he says.

"One group interested in purchasing Biden2004.com was based out of the [United Kingdom] and had serious issues with Senator Biden's views on Northern Ireland," Stein says. Stein listened but decided not to sell, he says.

Another collector of political domain names acknowledges that he's willing to take bids.

"It's more of a speculative move," says Nick Noll of his decision to register sites such as www.kerryforpresident.org and www.presidenthillaryrodhamclinton.com. While he will not actively market his names and has not been contacted by any candidate's representatives, Noll notes, "possibly there might be a market."

What's a Candidate to Do?

If candidates want a domain name that refers to them but don't want to pay for it, they have little recourse, according to Andrew McLaughlin, chief policy officer for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a nonprofit organization that oversees the registering of domain names.

A 1999 cybersquatting law prevents people from registering trademarks that they don't own. Politicians' names, however, are fair game, according to McLaughlin.

"Politicians get quite grumpy about this," McLaughlin adds.

But the political cybersquatters say their actions are legal, and politicians aren't obligated to use any particular domains.

"As President Reagan came up with a long time ago, 'just say no' if you don't want to buy them," says Pete Lucas, owner of www.bushcheney.net and.org.

How a site is used is another issue. When McCain was running for president, someone put up a site and was taking fake donations in his name, according to Davis. The Federal Election Commission has rules restricting the use of a candidate's image or name, and the McCain campaign was able to get the site shut down, he says.

"My advice to candidates is to get a good domain name, stick with it, and don't worry about anything else," says Phil Noble, a political consultant and president of PoliticsOnline, a site with information about the Internet and politics.

Foes Snap Up Names, Too

Money is not the only motivation, according to some squatters.

"I am planning on establishing a Web site that shows just how much Edwards supports the proverbial "Big Brother," rather than the wishes of his fellow North Carolinans," says Jennica Humphrey, a 19-year-old North Carolina college student and libertarian upset over Edwards's vote against President Bush's tax cut bill. She has registered www.johnedwards2004.net.

Noble says ideologues are as much a part of the Internet landscape as the more traditional political mix.

"You can't stop them any more than you can stop someone from coming to your rallies with a sign and saying you're a bum," Noble says.

Edwards, the junior senator from North Carolina, is often mentioned when the names of potential presidential candidates are bandied about. In addition to Humphrey's domain name, squatters have registered www.edwards2004.com, www.edwards2004.org, and www.johnedwards2004.com. Edwards has registered www.johnedwards2004.org. Presidential candidate or not, his Senate seat is up for election in 2004.

"It's a great big Internet out there," says Edwards's spokesperson, Mike Briggs. "There is room for a lot of people."

Ideology and money aside, some squatters are just looking for a good time. Web developer Barry Johnson says he has registered political domain names because he would like to have some fun by making parody sites and will probably put them up once the presidential primaries begin.

"It occurred to me during the last election, 'Wow, wouldn't it be cool to own AlGore.com?'" says Johnson. The Gore-Lieberman campaign, or now audit committee, has the site. There is no site posted at the URL.

Cooler still for Johnson would be if Biden; Senator Tom Daschle, D-North Dakota; or Gephardt leaves the 2004 convention as the Democrats' presidential nominee. He owns the domain names www.JoeBiden2004.org, www.TomDaschle2004.org, and www.Gephardt2004.org.