Verisign breaks the Internet

Verisign, the company that manages the .com and .net domains, introduced a new system this week that redirects surfers who mistype domain names to a Verisign site called “Site Finder.” The Verisign site includes a search engine from paid search company Overture and a way to buy unregistered domain names. By doing this, Verisign changes the way that the Internet has worked since its inception and breaks a wide variety of programs that depend on unregistered domain names not leading to a site.
NY Times: Disputes Erupt Over Service for Poor Internet Typists
Salon: Thanks, VeriSign, for breaking the Internet
And finally, the situation is summarized in a cartoon strip by User Friendly.