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Virgin hijacks empty pages

Virgin broadband has started serving up advertising, instead of empty pages, when the domain you were looking for turns out not to be there.

Users of Virgin's Broadband service have started seeing Virgin's "Advanced Network Error Search" instead of the traditional Server Not Found error when they enter a URL that doesn't exist. This provides an opportunity for Virgin to cram in some advertising, in a development that should worry anyone hoping that web browsers don't represent the final stage of internet evolution.

The trick isn't new: Comcast, Verizon and several other US ISPs already insert their own messages when users try to contact a non-existent server. But it's the first time we've seen it on this side of the pond, and while most users might not care if they get an error message or targeted advertising, it does upset the robots.

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