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Comment by jluxenberg | Hacker News Reader

Well this is awfully suspicious

  $ dig @8.8.8.8 petitions.whitehouse.gov

  ; <<>> DiG 9.6-ESV-R4-P3 <<>> @8.8.8.8 petitions.whitehouse.gov
  ; (1 server found)
  ;; global options: +cmd
  ;; Got answer:
  ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: SERVFAIL, id: 39404
  ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0

  ;; QUESTION SECTION:
  ;petitions.whitehouse.gov.	IN	A

  ;; Query time: 500 msec
  ;; SERVER: 8.8.8.8#53(8.8.8.8)
  ;; WHEN: Sat Jun 15 18:05:23 2013
  ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 42

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This site seems to fail a lot. Every time it does someone interprets it as being suspicious, especially when their pet petition is getting attention on a site they frequent. Don't read too much into it!

I've noticed a lot of downtime on this site too. I agree it's not suspicious. I imagine this site gets a lot of traffic. I'd be curious to see uptime stats over time. Like "downforeveryoneorjustme" except more like Pingdom. Is there a service like Pingdom for checking uptime stats on public sites like this?

There must be a sale on tin-foil hats or something.

Why would the Whitehouse intermittently take down the petitions site ? The petitions aren't binding and are merely used to help guide their decisions and provide a forum for clear responses to issues.

It's not like the response to this petition is going to be revelatory: National security is important. Leaks compromise national security. Snowden is bad. The End.

"The petitions aren't binding and are merely used to help guide their decisions and provide a forum for clear responses to issues."

Are there any examples of these petitions leading to action? It seems like it is just representation theater to me.

Can you please explain what is suspicious for a n00b like me?

The DNS entry for petitions.whitehouse.gov disappeared for a bit.

It was just a SERVFAIL, not an empty response. It's not that uncommon.

Hmm, it's back now.

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