Blair hires controversial US election cyberactivist

The Labour Party has hired the controversial cyberactivist responsible for running the Democratic Party's internet campaigns during the 2004 US presidential election.

Zack Exley was hired by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry after setting up the political website MoveOn.org, which engaged in grassroots campaigning and claimed to have built an online community of some 2 million political activists.

But Exley made his name some years earlier when he snapped up the gwbush.com domain for $70 and promptly used it to set up a website to post fake photos portraying the now-US president as a cocaine-snorting alcoholic.

Much to Bush's annoyance, Exley avoided falling foul of cybersquatting laws because at the time he was a registered independent who was not employed by any of the political parties.

No-one at Labour Party campaign headquarters was available to comment on either Exley's appointment or claims by the Conservative Party that several websites with party leader Michael Howard's name have been registered in the Labour Party's name.

Law firm Eversheds warned of the legal dangers of cybersquatting and said the political parties also risk alienating voters if they mislead them using these kinds of tactics.

Cassie Beasley, intellectual property expert at Eversheds, said: "Anyone involved in cybersquatting must be careful not to break any trademark laws, particularly those relating to infringement and passing off. And depending on how they are using the site, any business with guerrilla marketing ideas in mind should beware of defamation."

Throughout the election campaign, silicon.com will be keeping tabs on the party policies and the use of IT in the campaign itself.