That's when it hit me: anti-brand activism really is alive and kicking on the Internet.

Think of any big brand - Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Ford, Toyota, Disney - and you will probably find a site that attempts to show its 'not so glorious side'. Take the case of fuckedcompany, whose visitors are asked to submit opinions about companies that are going under. Some messages posted are vicious.

Cokespotlight wants to persuade the company to give up damaging HFC coolants in favour of eco-friendly alternatives like Greenfreeze. The site owners say: "In the time it takes you to read this sentence, another 100,000 people worldwide will reach for a Coca-Cola soft drink."

Have they had any effect on Coke? Apparently, in June 2000, the company announced a new global refrigeration policy and has agreed to phase out its use by the Athens Olympics Games in 2004.

Mcspotlight offers an 'alternative space' to a company (read McDonald's) that allegedly spends over $2 billion a year on advertising alone. The McInformation network, comprising volunteers from over 16 countries, claims that McDonald's has been given this 'dubious honour' because its people pursue profit at the expense of 'anything that stands in their way'. Backed by over 120MB of information, the site gives you an in-depth look at things you probably didn't want to know about your McBurger.

Boycott Nike and Just Stop It take on global sportswear giant Nike. The latter has a detailed report on working conditions in Nike factories and has initiated a dialogue with company officials.

Have the allegations had any effect? Email sent to Nike's corporate headquarters brought no response but the company's site has a section dedicated to labour practices and corporate responsibility. Recently, to stem accusations, Nike has also posted images from its factories in South East Asia.

Even Disney haters have found a place online. Some of their reasons for hating the firm include a destruction of culture, animal endangerment and indirectly hurting children.

There's more: Proctor and Gamble has been accused of poisoning animals. A 'Boycott Gap' campaign has been launched. And Bill Gates hasn't been spared either.

A loyal visitor at eBay turned negative too. After beginning to feel the auction site was "just taking advantage of their users" he is now calling on all users to boycott eBay so that it changes its policies.

Another dotcom at the receiving end is amazon. According to this opponent, the company's "legal practice threatens to halt the progress of the Internet". What can you do to help? Stop typing 'amazon.com' and opt for 'noamazon.com' instead.

With a rise in the number of anti-brand sites, many companies are now taking steps to tell their side of the story. However, emails asking McDonald's and Coke to comment elicited no response.

Companies have been known to resort to legal action. But the anonymous nature of information makes the process difficult. Apparently, more than 150 lawsuits were filed in the US alone in 1999 against perpetrators of rumours about global companies.

While the Public Relations Society of America has also taken an initiative to answer this sort of activism, it admits on its site that with the Internet being used to discuss the world's largest consumer and service companies, "managing these threats will be one of the dominant management and communications problems in the future".

So, will people stop eating burgers, watching cartoons and wearing branded clothing? Probably not. But anti-brand sites are still an example of how the Internet can be a blessing that comes with its own set of curses.

More Anti-Brand Sites:
 -- Ford and Toyota
 -- Corporate America Sucks
 -- Corporate Crackdown