Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
Separately, a few years ago Sony added spyware to their audio CD's; put one in your Windows PC, and without your permission or knowledge it installed a bunch of software that, among other things, restricted your ability to burn certain Sony/BMG audio CDs. The spyware took many steps to hide itself and make it difficult to uninstall, which in turn provided a method for malware to hide itself on the effected machines. Eventually several anti-virus companies put the Sony rootkit onto their malware lists.
After much criticism and lawsuits, Sony released an uninstall tool... that installed an ActiveX control that removed a security feature -- thus allowing any site to install programs via ActiveX without restriction. While not a malevolent act, it was painfully sloppy and opened up a huge security hole.
|
They did not restrict just burning. They were inserting noise into every CD you listened to in "unapproved" software. So if you wanted to rip your own CD into a Sony mp3 player or minidisk using different Sony software - the one that officially came with the mp3 player - you got inferior quality.
The situation was further aggravated by very arrogant way the Sony high ranking executive answered to first allegations of misconduct.
And you forgot to mention the cherry on the top of this steaming pile - the fact that in order to write their software they(*) STOLE code. Yes. they stole IP property. And they stole it from
Jon Lech Johansen - sometimes known as "DVD Jon". DVD Jon is the guy that broke the drm for DVDs. Talk about irony!
(*) the software was written by a third party, Sony just commissioned it, paid for it and distributed it ;-)