An internet purchase temporarily shut down the Google search engine in Argentina.
Domain Squatter Alert: Google’s ar. version was available online since it had expired; instead of Google refreshing their registration, an outsider not linked with the company bought it for AR $540.
The international version “www.google.com,” however, wasn’t compromised in the cybersquatting purchase. The trafficking of Google’s internet domain was not used to earn bad money. Instead, the one who purchased it decided to collapse the search engine. Thankfully it was only the version that he had bought.
Users started to complain when they found that the search engine wasn’t reacting to the made searches. Assuming that some servers might have crashed, only to find out later via a tweet that it was a breach. It had to happen in a way as it was Google that left the doors open.
Such an act, as mentioned above, is called Cybersquatting and is used for registering, using, or selling a domain name to earn illicit money. In other words, it’s earning profit by using someone else’s name.
Google reacted on the matter, which was an example of the saying “better late than never,” and resolved the issue, resuming google.com.ar and the wonders that it could do. It was an easy resume for Google, gaining back control which was shifted to a man from Argentina. Sadly for the purchaser and early actor, he was left with losing some of his money and also earned a “cyber-squatter” status for his act.
The new owner of google.com.ar kept on protesting after losing the power to collapse a search engine or use it for false advertisements to make money. He said, “I want to clarify that I entered nic. ar and saw the name of google com. ar available, and I legally bought it as appropriate.” The registrations on the nic. ar expire each year; this time, Kurona was the fastest player, but just for a few hours.
The Open Data Cordoba Group that works on tracking expired Argentine domains stated that Google’s domain didn’t even expire yet. However, they had no explanations on how the domain was listed to be sold out. The mysterious purchase and crashing of the search engine remain unanswered as the date for it to expire due in July.