SONY invited hackers to attack them [Opinion]

[postconditional]

I was listening to a NPR NEWS story about how hackers have been hammering at all things SONY through multiple security vulnerabilities. I think the story falsely attributed the motivation behind these attacks. NPR stated that the attacks were in response to SONY's law suit against GeoHot, the hacker that hacked the PS3 to show that users (SONY's customers) could restore their consumer rights that SONY violated. NPR also suggested that these hackers were hoping to be employed by SONY to fix the very services that they were attacking. I don't feel that either explanation tells the whole story.

I don't know the hacker motivations for certain, but I would not be surprised if they were the result of decades of SONY's business practices.SONY started off as the company that fought for consumer rights (to record their own shows) and ended up as the company that suppresses consumer rights.

• SONY sues people who modify the products that they've purchased and now own.
• SONY products have proprietary interfaces, requiring you to buy over-priced accessories.
• SONY then completely hoarked its Linux customers.

In a move in the right direction (I'm biased) SONY promised to support the installation of other operating systems on the PS3, such as Linux. Linux can be used for multiple projects, such as:

• Web page servers
• Home theater media centers
• File servers
• A personal workstation - that can be connected to from anywhere
• Simply to learn a *nix Operating System

SONY then produced a firmware update that intentionally removed this capability, preventing its customers who spent many hours creating content on their PS3s from accessing that content.

• May 23rd, 2010: GeoHot demonstrated that the PS3 could be hacked to restore the OtherOS functionality that would allow SONY's customers to retain their consumer right to make modifications to the products that they have bought and paid for.
• April 27th, 2010: A class action lawsuit was filed against SONY for an "unfair and deceptive" "breach of good faith" against its own customers.
• July 14th, 2010: GeoHot announced that he would not be publishing his custom firmware for the PS3.
• January, 2011: Six months later, SONY decides to sue GeoHot and other hackers anyways.

Recognize that SONY is consumer unfriendly, backs the RIAA/MPAA, sells proprietary hardware, and gouges consumers once they are locked into SONY's products and services. Just don't buy from them. If you do buy from them, and find that SONY hoarked you because of it, do the right thing and seek a legitimate remedy.

Hey, SONY? Microsoft has embraced the modders that hacked the Microsoft Kinect and are openly encouraging them. That's right. Microsoft.

As far as SONY's security woes? I don't agree with attacking network services, but I think they asked for it.