May 082004
I’ve recently discovered BugMeNot.com (thank Dan). The website assists users to bypass compulsory the web registrations found on various sites over the web (e.g., nytimes.com, washingtonpost.com).The trick? Well, the website keeps a database of user-submitted id’s and passwords, so BugMeNot lists this information for your use. You can also use the BugMeNot bookmarklet so that you can get the relevant information whenever you come to a site requesting the compulsory registration process. Is there an ethical issue here? Well, I can’t answer that, but you can check out a good discussion regarding the website here.
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What a find, Alec (and thanks Dan)! I’ve always avoided registering for these sites, with some regret, just because I don’t want to go to the trouble of setting up a bogus account. I’m not sure about the ethical questions either, but I’m concerned that there will be people who like to use “legitimate” usernames and passwords when they register. Not everyone thinks to set up a spam account and use it for these kinds of registrations.