The XJZ Project

The project was started in 2009 by a student who wanted to improve his JavaScript programming and web development skills. The developer wished to do something to reduce the effectiveness of the types of scams where victims are encouraged to go onto websites and complete surveys or pay money, with the false promise that they would get access to interesting content. Such scams were popular at the time and were being widely spread on social media, often unintentionally through clickjacking. A browser tool was created to show that the promised content did not exist or if it did, it was not as suggested by links.

Over the next few years, the tool (both a bookmarklet version and addon version for Chrome and Firefox) and website were improved. During this time, the developer learnt a great deal about software design and website management. It is also hoped that the project helped the Internet community and raised awareness of "too good to be true" website scams.

The project has now been retired and is no longer actively developed. However, the website has been kept online with some blog posts that visitors may find useful. Ultimately, the way to avoid the type of scam this project aimed to tackle and the wider issue of keeping safe online is about education.