SQ006.com first hit headlines on November 8 when Channel NewsAsia (CNA) received a complaint from a group claiming to be Singapore's Internet Web site Research and Monitoring Group. The group told CNA that it found the Web site to be in utter bad taste and was taking advantage of the crash of Flight SQ006 which killed 82 people in Taipei on October 31.

The group further claimed that it had asked US-based domain name registrar Network Solutions Inc (NSI) to suspend the site, which is registered to a Gordon Johnson in the US. The site is sponsored by US-based aviation law firm Nolan Law Group. Among the published content, attorney Donald J Nolan said that Singapore Airlines' (SIA) compensation offer of US$400,000 to the families of those who perished is inadequate and should be flatly rejected.

The lawyer also questioned SIA's use of "buddies" to counsel families and to convey this (compensation) offer. He claimed that it is a tactic used by the insurance industry in airline crashes to create a bond of trust, which can be taken advantage of.

When contacted by Singapore.CNET.com, an NSI spokesperson said: "Although this (the site) may be distasteful, NSI does not make it a practice to censor Web sites."

"A Web site will be closed down only when NSI receives a court order due to trademark infringement or illegal activities," the NSI spokesperson explained.

On the day of the crash, Johnson also registered the sq006 domain name with the .org and .net prefix.

Cheap publicity?

The Internet Website Research and Monitoring Group claims to be a non-profit organization that monitors Internet abuse. It was formed in 1996 as a school project and was formerly known as the Puppies Group.

A check with several quarters as to the authenticity of the group drew blanks. Both the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and National Internet Advisory Committee said they had not heard of the group.

In an email to Singapore.CNET.com, a reader said that while the tragedy was extremely unfortunate, he believes that Internet Web site Research and Monitoring Group was also taking advantage of the situation for "cheap publicity."

"I think the group's excuse is lame...if the group claims to be an Internet monitoring body, then it should know the fundamental workings of the Net. You can't take down a site just because some might find it distasteful...no law has been breached here and that's the bottomline," the reader said.

Denmark-based domain names registrar Speednames vice president (Business Development) Mickey Beyer concurs. "The Web site content built upon the registered domain name is not within the responsibilities of the registrar."

Beyer said that a registrar has no right to revoke a domain name unless its customer breaches the service agreement.

UK-based Web design and consultancy firm Bluewave Ltd CEO Richard Latham suggested that the best solution would probably be to put up another Web page to counter the message on the SQ006 Web site. "The fact that the site is (peddling) its business is distasteful; but then again, that is common practice in the US and is not illegal."