ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The state of Maryland has pulled
its Web page after it began filling up with crude comments
erroneously signed by the governor and lieutenant governor.
"They were writing slanted and biased and really
ugly stuff," some of it racially oriented, said
Nanette Stesch, who managed the page as Maryland's
"Web master."
The site became especially popular with those angry
about the Cleveland Browns move to Baltimore, where
they are now known as the Ravens. Many of the messages
with bogus identities dealt with the team and its owner,
Art Modell, Ms. Stesch said.
At first, she erased the offensive messages every
morning. However, the chore became too tedious as more
and more hackers learned about the site.
"It just became a real maintenance issue,"
she said.
Last month, state officials decided to close the
site.
"Several entries in the past few weeks containing
obscenities, obscene language, slander and erroneous
information make it impossible to maintain this feature"
read the message that Web browsers now find when they
clicked on the "guest book" feature of the
Maryland
Electronic
Capital.
"Appropriate input" may be "submitted
in private" to another Internet address, the message
continues.
"Comments containing political viewpoint, obscenities,
misrepresentation or opinions on sports are not welcome."
State officials are looking for a way to edit obscene
comments and allow residents to again post questions
and observations on a government-run home page, Ms.
Stesch said.