Search giant Google accidentally allowed someone else to buy the Google.com domain name. And the price? Just $12. That’s a bargain, considering it’s the most popular domain name in the world.
The purchaser was actually a former Google employee, named Sanmay Ved. He was up late at night searching Google Domains when he came across the iconic domain name.
When the transaction went through – to Ved’s surprise – he received emails with internal company information. Luckily for Google, Ved reported this to Google’s security team. But he could have done what he wanted with it.
“The scary part was I had access to the webmaster controls for a minute,” he said.
Sadly, his spell in charge didn’t last any longer than that. A minute later, he received an email notifying him that Google Domains had cancelled the sale, saying someone had registered the site before he could. He was also refunded his $12. But not before he could take a load of screenshots that he would use in a LinkedIn post about the adventure.
Read more: Britain gets .uk domain name
“So for one minute I had access,” Ved said. “At least I can now say I’m the man who owned Google.com for one minute.”
This isn’t the first time a tech firm has accidentally let someone else buy its domain name. In 2003, Microsoft forgot to renew its Hotmail.co.uk web address, only for someone else to buy it. Again, it ended happily with the buyer returning it to Microsoft.
Google also changed its name to Alphabet recently, without realising that alphabet.com is owned by BMW.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
