Sony crosses the line - big time
If you haven't heard of the ongoing Sony-BMG "digital rights management" fiasco by now, you might want to tune in to what's going on. Here's a basic backgrounder of the story from BusinessWeek. And, surprise, surprise - this story started out on a blog:
There are several pending class action lawsuits (the first was filed on November 1st). More are likely to be filed soon. Also, it's rumored that the federal government will soon launch a formal investigation. Expect the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to start looking into this.
Click here to see a list of Sony CDs that have this malicious software on them. Due to significant public pressure, Sony is going to be recalling millions of these essentially contaminated CDs from the marketplace and store shelves around the country.
It's also halting production of new rootkit equipped CDs. Lastly, Sony will offer consumers that have purchased the spyware-laden CD’s the option of exchanging them for clean versions.
If you own a CD on the list and you've played it on your Windows PC, chances are the Sony rootkit has been installed to your system. Do NOT go to Sony to attempt to remove this malicious software. The patch they were offering just makes your security vulnerability worse. Click here to go to Microsoft's Windows Live site to scan your computer and get the malicious software removed.
More information is available from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Mark Russinovich, the independent researcher who first discovered Sony's dirty tricks. NPI recommends that you boycott Sony BMG in protest of this assault on consumer rights.
On Oct. 31, blogger Mark Russinovich discovered a hidden program installed on his PC by a Sony (SNE) BMG music disc. The code was designed to prevent purchasers of the CD from copying it or converting it. But the program was disturbing for another reason -- in an apparent effort to prevent garden-variety hackers from circumventing the copy restrictions, Sony designed the program to surreptitiously bury itself deep within the Windows operating system, completely hidden from view.The story has been cropping up just about everywhere. It's a huge public relations disaster for Sony - a disaster they certainly deserve. Sony's attempt to curb what it views as piracy was a complete betrayal of its customers' trust, and likely a breach of several U.S. and state laws.
Before long, software engineers were warning that the code -- known derisively in techie parlance as a rootkit -- could easily be co-opted by virus writers. The warning was all but an invitation, and soon enough the viruses began circulating.
Cyberlibertarians accused Sony of violating state and federal spyware laws, class actions were filed, and the issue exploded into the mainstream press.
There are several pending class action lawsuits (the first was filed on November 1st). More are likely to be filed soon. Also, it's rumored that the federal government will soon launch a formal investigation. Expect the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to start looking into this.
Click here to see a list of Sony CDs that have this malicious software on them. Due to significant public pressure, Sony is going to be recalling millions of these essentially contaminated CDs from the marketplace and store shelves around the country.
It's also halting production of new rootkit equipped CDs. Lastly, Sony will offer consumers that have purchased the spyware-laden CD’s the option of exchanging them for clean versions.
If you own a CD on the list and you've played it on your Windows PC, chances are the Sony rootkit has been installed to your system. Do NOT go to Sony to attempt to remove this malicious software. The patch they were offering just makes your security vulnerability worse. Click here to go to Microsoft's Windows Live site to scan your computer and get the malicious software removed.
More information is available from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Mark Russinovich, the independent researcher who first discovered Sony's dirty tricks. NPI recommends that you boycott Sony BMG in protest of this assault on consumer rights.
