LNP Cybersquatter has newcomer in sights

[Wayne Smith]

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/9490/internetfordummies.jpg

 

Author: Daniel Hurst

Date: 17 June 2011

Source: Brisbane Times

Copyright: © 2011 Fairfax Media

 

LNP Cybersquatter has newcomer in sights

 

 

A notorious cybersquatter who's been a thorn in the side of Queensland's Liberal National Party has now taken aim at one of the state's newest political organisations.

 

Wayne Smith, who gained attention after registering www.bindiirwin.com days after Bindi Irwin's father Steve died in 2006, snapped up the queenslandparty.org domain this month.

 

Google users who search for the Queensland Party can find the official queenslandparty.com.au website but just below that result is the bogus domain under the title “The Queensland Partyâ€.

 

 

The website description states: “The Queensland Party registered as the Queensland Party. [Party founder] Aidan McLindon has no imagination. What's next? The Australian Party?â€

 

The link redirects to a “Liberal National Party†website under the domain liberalnationalparty.webs.com, which includes stories poking fun at politicians including Mr McLindon, Bob Katter and Campbell Newman.

 

Mr McLindon reckons it's all good fun.

 

He told brisbanetimes.com.au Mr Smith appeared to be an enterprising cybersquatter with an “innovative approach to businessâ€.

 

Mr McLindon had a bit of a laugh about the comment that he had no imagination, saying Mr Smith may be trying to add extra incentive for the Queensland Party to buy the domain off him.

 

“That's one way to try to blackmail someone to buy it off you isn't it,†he said.

 

Web domain records show Mr Smith, of Dalby in southern Queensland, registered queenslandparty.org on June 5.

 

In an email to brisbanetimes.com.au, Mr Smith said he had also registered queenslandparty.net but did not have any specific reason for doing so.

 

“Didn't have any intention,†he replied.

 

“It [the available domain] had been sitting there for about a year. I could have purchased two bacon egg muffins and an OJ instead.â€

 

Mr Smith said Mr McLindon sounded like he had a sense of humour and that was rare in a politician.

 

But Mr Smith said he was not technically a cybersquatter because he did not seek to profit from buying up domains.

 

Mr Smith said he had only purchased the bindiirwin.com domain because he was internet-savvy enough to realise it would become the target of money-hungry cybersquatters. He said he subsequently gave away the domain to Terri Irwin.

 

Mr Smith has previously caused headaches for the LNP, having registered liberalnationalparty.org four days after the new party was formed.

 

That address, along with liberalnationalparty.com and john-paullangbroek.com, still redirect to the fake “Liberal National Party†website.

 

LNP state director Michael O'Dwyer said today the party had not pursued the matter.

 

“Our focus is on doing what we're doing, not what he's doing,†he said.

 

“It's something we keep a close eye on but in the world of cyberspace it's very very difficult to control.â€

 

On the “about us†section of the fake Liberal National Party site, Mr Smith provides an email address for people to send “any additions, corrections, suggestions, comments, spam, bills, lawsuits or hatemailâ€.

 

The home page today contained a story suggesting Mr McLindon and Mr Katter were caught stealing Mr Newman's number plates.

 

It featured a photo of the two maverick politicians standing at the back of a car clutching an “LNP†personalised number plate.

 

“After a long night of heavy drinking, swapping political yarns and comparing the size of each others parties, comrades in arms Bob Katter and Aidan McLindon decided to end their first cautious talks about a possible joint party merger with some good old fashioned car vandalism,†the light-hearted story said.

 

Mr McLindon told brisbanetimes.com.au the photo was from last year after he had quit the LNP and was about to sell off his personalised plates.

 

“At the end of the day Queensland politics is pretty stale so if he [Mr Smith] wants to put a touch of humour to it good luck to him,†he said.

 

*************************************

 

 

I love a good party. Can't believe that worked again. The founder Aidan McLindon is ex-LNP for chrissakes! He left that top level public domain sitting there and miraculously nobody else picked it up before I noticed it.

[Samurai]

haha whane smith

good work mate keep em on their toes...

when the internet first came out my cuz suggested to me to grab all the "websites" we could think of ..eg big W..target..so on ..i said to him dont be silly what would people want to buy "websites" of us for....well the rest is history..im still slaving my guts out workin..so is my cuz...haha silly prick should not have listened to me....have fun with it mate ..HM..

PS..a dalby boy ay...went to school there for awhile..88-91

[Wayne Smith]

Its changed a bit since then. A lot of mining camps have sprung up and the population is well over 12,000 now. There is a new shopping centre with woollies and big w. Just watch out for the centre manager if you go inside. Short fat little dickhead who wears dark glasses indoors. Likes to provoke people and then call the police on them. Has done it to a lot of locals and wouldn't be surprised if he ends up dead somewhere. Has a boyfriend who works at Big W and has small man disease. Like Napolean or Hitler. Constantly feels the need to prove himself by bullying customers. The police are still a bunch of wankers stuck with traffic duty for the most part. They have turned the place into a pig training centre. Other than that its still a friendly country town. The swimming pool became heated last year. A lot of aborigines have moved in to one end of town and its best not to park your car up there. Had three break ins myself. I'm part abo myself. Just stating how it is. Not a lot of entertainment out that way but the camel races in Tara are always a laugh. I'm actually in brisbane right now.