'NAZI.US' Redirects to Department of Homeland Security Site

"An anonymous person in Florida has registered the domain nazis.us and redirected it to the Department of Homeland Security's website in an apparent protest of the Trump administration. As of Thursday evening, the URL that sounds like it would be the homepage for U.S.-based Nazis does still redirect to dhs.gov when entered into a web browser. According to GoDaddy's WHOIS database records, nazis.us was registered on Jan. 13 by someone with a mailing address in Florida."

"TMZ reported on the website prank and shared a short video showing the redirect in action on a mobile phone screen. [F]or now, nobody seems to know why it is happening, noted TMZ's report, but anyone purchasing a web domain can redirect the URL to any other site on the internet if they so choose. We've successfully blocked the redirect, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed when TMZ reached out for comment, but the redirect was still operational when Mediaite tested it, and for numerous other commentators online."

"For months, DHS has been posting content that has been heavily criticized for bearing a strong resemblance to images and slogans used by the Nazis and other white supremacists, including misappropriating Norman Rockwell's paintings to pair with its propaganda drawing a sharp rebuke from the famous artist's family. The registration of nazis.us came amid escalating protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, especially in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis."

An anonymous Florida registrant purchased nazis.us and redirected it to the Department of Homeland Security website. The URL redirected to dhs.gov as of Thursday evening. GoDaddy WHOIS records show the domain was registered on Jan. 13 with a Florida mailing address. A short video captured the redirect in action on a mobile phone. DHS claimed to have blocked the redirect, but the redirect remained operational in independent tests. DHS has faced criticism for posting content resembling Nazi and white supremacist imagery, including misuse of Norman Rockwell paintings. The domain registration occurred amid rising protests over immigration enforcement and a recent fatal shooting by an ICE agent.

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