Sony Settles With FTC Over Rootkits 133
The FTC has struck a deal with Sony punishing Sony for the rootkits it included on millions of CDs in 2005. The deal is exactly like the Texas and California settlements — $150 a rootkit. The settlement isn't final yet. There will be a 30-day public consultation. American citizens who read Slashdot might want to put in their two cents. Comments will be accepted through March 1 at: FTC, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580 (snail mail only). Here is the FTC page announcing the settlement.
Save your reciept ? (Score:5, Interesting)
I understand why stores require reciepts to return stuff, but when it comes to CDs which are non-returnable once that plastic wrap is taken off, who the hell bothers to save the reciept ?
How are they going to know when the CD was purchased ?
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:What about OS????/ (Score:2, Interesting)
How About... (Score:3, Interesting)
How About you realise that this is Sony BMG - e.g. a partnership between Sony and Bertelssman. The rootkit would have been 100% BMG's idea. The CEO of Sony has gone on the record as saying he thinks online music sales are too expensive and should be close to the 25c mark.
So if I'm reading the settlement site correctly... (Score:5, Interesting)
If you removed the unlawful hack yourself, no matter how much pain and suffering it caused, there is every probability that they will compensate you exactly nothing.
(I mean nothing but the opportunity to exchange your defective CD for a slightly less defective one or a DRM-laden download.)
I think the kicker is that this is one of those fancy federal consent-decrees -- like the one that was used to "break" the Microsoft monopoly way back when. They agree not to be such meanies and in exchange, they receive total immunity from prosecution on any related federal charges and all state laws that conflict with the federal decision are automatically superseded.
I'm so glad that the feds are looking out for me. With punishment like that, Sony surely KNOWS they've been naughty. It's certain that they won't do anything like THAT again.
Re:Not bad (Score:3, Interesting)
Sometimes the IT world just doesn't make its case clear in a public issue and loses out as a result.
Claim form help? (Score:5, Interesting)
One of the questions is as follows:
7. Briefly describe the type of harm / damage / problem you experienced and the steps that you
took in response:
What kinds of problems, other than the pain of removing it, did people have? Was any actual damage done? Did anyone's computer get taken over? I'm just curious what a valid response would be to this, for when I fill out the form.
Could malware use Vista's DRM functionality? (Score:2, Interesting)
If Vista prevents tampering of programs, that would certainly be useful to malware. It could even make it immune to virus scanners. If an arbitrary program (aka a virus scanner) can be used to circumvent the DRM, that would make the DRM rather useless too, wouldn't it?
I'm speculating a lot. Could anyone who knows specific details shed some light, please?
I Chooose a Better Punishment (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Could malware use Vista's DRM functionality? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:how does this multiply out? (Score:5, Interesting)
Banning things which are already illegal (Score:3, Interesting)
Damn them anyway! (Score:3, Interesting)
After being yelled at for ruining my computer, she broke the CD and threw it away, and I've lost the receipts for the SB and XP.
I think a more fair settlement would have been to just have Sony give $500 to every man, woman, and child on the planet, and have its CEO spend as much time in a US federal assrape prison as anybody who would have done this to Sony's corporate computers would have, after being caned in Singapore. Then when he was released from US prison, have the Chinese execute him and bill his family for the bullet.
If you work for Sony in any capacity at all, I hate your fucking guts. Please die and take your God damned company with you.
Sorry for the rant.