Harvard & Berkeley WTF?

A screenshot from the fake Harvard website
created by Inside Higher Ed.

Inside Higher Ed today notes that with the proliferation of internet domains, it is easy to buy one that might look like an official university website.

...Even wealthy, elite institutions that are very protective of their brands can sometimes miss opportunities to prevent pranksters from co-opting their name -- this week Inside Higher Ed purchased www.harvarduniversity.wtf for just $5.17, including tax.

While it’s unlikely any prospective student would mistake a “.wtf” website for a genuine university website, many more legitimate-sounding names are readily available. Inside Higher Ed purchased www.berkeley.mba for $19.99. Using free website design templates, it’s possible to create something that might pass as authentic in minutes.

Bill Pearce, chief marketing officer and assistant dean for marketing and communications at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, said the school had purchased some domain names but noted, “We have to draw the line somewhere.” ...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/08/universities-stick-edu-domain-names