Argh! Porn pirates hijack Perlmutter campaign site

Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Politics’ steamy side has been exposed in Colorado’s 7th Congressional District.

Porn pirates, it seems, hijacked Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s campaign Web site shortly after he was elected in November, demanding more than $1,000 in ransom.

The matter resolved itself late today when the porn suddenly disappeared, but not without first giving Perlmutter’s staff a major headache.

Internet users who typed "Ed Perlmutter" into their Google search engines and then clicked "I’m feeling lucky" were directed to perlmutter2006.com, which had told voters during his first campaign why they should vote for the Golden Democrat.

The Web site had been changed to feature a bikini-clad woman lounging suggestively, next to links for "free uncensored webcams," "find local girls for sex," and "cheating wives adult chat."

The trouble started right after Perlmutter was elected, when the Web hosting firm he had hired let its registration on the site’s domain name expire, said Perlmutter campaign spokesman Scott Chase.

An enterprising Web site clearinghouse company apparently snatched up the domain name.

Chase said the company offered to sell perlmutter2006.com back to the campaign for $1,000 to $1,200, but Perlmutter refused to pay the ransom.

Instead, the congressman loaded his re-election campaign content onto a new Web site: perlmutterforcolorado.com.

Meanwhile, the congressman’s staff tried desperately to get the smut off the Web, including sending a cease-and-desist letter to the porn site from the campaign’s lawyer, Chase said.

RockyMountainNews.com ran a story about the shenanigans this morning. By this afternoon, Perlmutter’s old election Web site had gone blank.

The development stumped campaign officials, who were nonetheless happy with the outcome.

"I don’t know what happened," Chase said, speculating the porn company took the cease-and-desist letter to heart.