Laz Benitez, a spokesperson for NYC2012, told the New York Daily News yesterday that its Website apparently had been hacked and a bogus link inserted – this in response to the buzz in the local media that a Web link on NYC2012.COM to the Center For Diversity, one of the groups in an umbrella organization created to demonstrate the city’s diversity, connected to a pornography site.
However, GamesBids.com has determined that this was likely an error in oversight and not a malicious attack. Internet archiving resources show that as recently as late last year the link would have opened the legitimate Website of the Center For Diversity, an organization that addresses “workforce diversity issues”. But at some point later the registration to the Website domain name expired and on October 2, 2002 was re-registered by an individual in Amsterdam for their own use.
This registration change apparently went unnoticed by the Bid and the organization until late yesterday.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Margaret Goldstein, chairwoman of the Center for Diversity told the Daily News.
The link was removed from the NYC2012.COM Website shortly after the discovery yesterday. According to the Center For Diversity’s original Website, the group includes the topic “the Internet’s effect on the world” in its annual conferences. Perhaps they’ll have a new chapter to add next year.
