VeriSign was marked out for the accolade "for their presumption that they own the internet and the domain name system hijacking scandal" said a spokesman for ISPA.
The registry was embroiled in controversy last year after it launched a redirection service called Site Finder, redirecting surfers to its Site Finder search engine when they enter a web address that is not registered on the internet or is inactive. The unilateral change was made, according to VeriSign, to improve "the user web-browsing experience."
The alteration provoked a barrage of criticism. Network administrators accused the registry of seeking not to aid the misguided web user, but rather to generate more advertising revenue from its search engine partners. Others criticised the effect that the changes have had on the working practices of the internet.
VeriSign agreed to suspend Site Finder after ICANN, the internet's naming authority, threatened to take the domain name registry to court, although there have been rumours in recent days that VeriSign intends to re-launch the service shortly.
Other finalists for the least-wanted accolade of the year were the Home Office "for the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act and demonstrating a lack of responsiveness to the internet industry's concerns about data retention", and the Recording Industry Association of America "For threatening to involve a 12 year old girl in a court action."
The placing of the Internet Hero award reflected the upsurge in concern about spam. Steve Linford and his web site Spamhaus were given the accolade for "educating people about spam, endeavoring to thwart spammers and urging the US to reject the opt-out approach to spam legislation."