Rogers Customers Get Ad-Laden 404 Sites

My call to Rogers to lodge an official complaint finally got through (as this time I didn't say what the call was about) in 5 minutes instead of two hours.

You can opt out "temporarily" but if you delete cookies you're right back in again. Opting out this way still leaves broken the ability to type single words, APPLE or CNN for example (actually I should state here I speak only about Safari on a Mac. Your experience may vary)...

So this opt out is nothing of the sort, thanks for lying Rogers. It still redirects but to a bogus IE 404 page. They do treat us like idiots, don't they?

At the end of 2007, we saw a surge in the amount of content that ISPs were injecting into websites in order to gain additional revenue for themselves. Canadian cable operator Rogers was found to be utilizing deep packet inspection to insert Javascript into various websites with messages for users about their monthly caps. At the time, Rogers admitted to the act and said that the company would be testing out a variety of different things like this and gauging customer response.

It appears that Rogers is making good on the plan to keep testing out the use of deep packet inspection and is now doing so in the form of DNS redirection, a practice which many say is a net neutrality violation. Entering an incorrect domain name will now transfer users to a Rogers-sponsored page filled with paid search results and links to additional Rogers content, along with a message from Rogers explaining that the page has been reached in error but is designed to “enhance your web surfing experience by eliminating many of the error pages you encounter as you surf”. Users can opt-out of the DNS redirection if they so choose.

The Opt-Out feature is simply a cookie... I want my entire account opted out so any browser in my household doesn't have to be force fed their illegitimate advertising. Do I not pay Rogers enough on a monthly basis as it is? Now they have to profit off my DNS errors?

Several people have written to note that Rogers appears to have adopted a new approach for failed DNS lookups (ie. instances where the domain name does not resolve).  Users are now directed to a Rogers-sponsored page that includes links to Rogers content, paid search results, and additional search results generated by Yahoo!  Rogers includes an explanation that states:

These search results were provided because the domain name you entered into the address bar is either improperly formatted, currently unavailable, nonexistent, or part of a key word search. Rogers Supported Search Results is a service designed to enhance your web surfing experience by eliminating many of the error pages you encounter as you surf.

In days past, Canada was known primarily for good beer and good hockey. Nowadays, the Great White North is home to controversies over copyright law, P2P throttling, and now, DNS redirects. Canadian ISP Rogers has begun redirecting failed DNS lookups to a Rogers-branded search page with ads, sponsored search results, links to Rogers content, and a Yahoo search box.