Murdoch scandal: the browser fallout

Sam Varghese
Tuesday, 26 July 2011 12:21

Your IT - Home IT

The people who write add-ons for Firefox are nothing but creative; the open nature of the browser has encouraged the add-on writers to create more and more functionality.

One of the newer add-ons focuses on the biggest news story going - the phone hacking by the now defunct News of the World, a newspaper which was owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International in Britain.

The add-on, called MurdochAlert, warns an internet user when one surfs to a Murdoch-controlled site.

A warning notice appears at the bottom of the browser window: "ALERT: This domain is controlled by the Murdoch Family. Your computer's ip address has been exposed and may be logged."

The extension can be installed by visiting this address.

"NewsCorp agents in multiple countries have been arrested for hacking into the phones and computers of at least thousands of innocent people. Since the Murdoch family controls 100+ high-traffic domains, it is difficult for average users to know which sites could potentially place them at risk," according to the download location.

"MurdochAlert identifies the domains that may place users at risk for Murdoch-related hacking. MurdochAlert shows a bottom warning box whenever you visit a Murdoch-controlled sited."

Google's browser, Chrome, has a related extension, which blocks access to Murdoch-controlled domains; it is available here. It blocks websites owned and operated by News Corp.

Firefox has a similar add-on which is available here.

The Chrome add-on displays a warning when one visits a site controlled by News Corp; one then has the option of continuing on and visiting the site. The list of blocked sites can be configured by the user who can change the default configuration to suit.