p2pnet - rss feed: World Press corps ignores Sony scandal
p2p news / p2pnet: One would have thought that, following the huge and on-going online outcry in North America about the outrageous attempt by Sony BMG to plant First 4 Internet and SunnComm MediaMax DRM onto customers’ computers without their knowledge or permission, two things would have happened, and happened quickly:
- Sony BMG (Japan and Germany) would have withdrawn all of the poisoned music CDs carrying the software, particularly since the SunnComm product comprises a literal security threat to people who now unknowingly and unwillingly host it on their systems; and,
- Sony BMG would have ordered every outlet, everywhere, carrying the CDs to take them off the shelves. Immediately!
However, in spite of promises to take the discs (which hold Digital Restrictions Management software that’s installed onto buyers’ PCs the first time they play the music) down, they’re still widely sold around the world.
And it appears the world press corpse as a whole is once again ignoring a matter of great public importance which adversely affects at least one member of the Big Four Organized Music cartel, the others being Vivendi Universal (France), EMI (Britain) and Warner Music (USA).
Yesterday we ran an item sparked by an email Maeko, a p2pnet reader in Japan who said she was alarmed by the lack of media attention in Japan, home to Sony.
“If Maeko really wants the Japanese people to become aware of just what Sony has done, without her having to go through the media, her best bet will be to post it all over the famous ‘2 channel’ BBS,” suggested tensaibaka in response, going on:
“True there is a lot of junk on there, but I’m sure if she posts some links to articles in Japanese for the ‘2 channel’ users to read, that the story will grow.”
And over in the UK, “There’s been precious little in the UK as well in the mainstream media,” said Julian Bond.
“And Amazon UK are still selling XCP infected titles with no sign of any refund or return process.
“And you can still buy Mediamax infected titles here with no sign of an upgrade or uninstall process.
“The DNS search shows that this is a world problem not just a USA problem. It’s great that the EFF are going after them and making this public, but it’s also a shame the EFF and others can’t make it more global in scope.”
On the DNS search, Maeko pointed out that Dan Kaminsky says Japan had more Sony BMG poisoned CD problems than anywhere else, with other countries seriouslyt affected being Spain, the Netherlands, Britain, the US and Japan, “which, with more than 217,000 DNS servers reporting knowledge of Sony-related addresses” was Number One.
Kaminsky was quoted in a Wired News story which also had him saying more than half a million networks, including military and government sites, have been hit by the Sony BMG Consumer Control software.
Sony BMG is, meanwhile, not only doing too little and too late (it knew about this at the beginning of October), it’s playing the incidents down.
Thomas Hesse, the head of Sony BMG’s global digital business, says the issue “only a slight one“.
“I didn’t start out to become interested in P2P, I just wanted to surf the net,” says Bev in a Reader’s Write.
“I’ve stated before and I’ll say it again - I’ve had quite an education this past year. I’m only one small voice, but there are a multitude of others out there. It’s depressing to think that just maybe Sony will come out of this smelling like a rose, but then there are things like the lawsuit in Texas and the slap by Homeland Security that just might get their attention. If not, I can only say I will not buy Sony products nor be in their music club, and I try to keep an eye locally on what is being said about this ( http://p2pnet.net/story/7228 and http://p2pnet.net/story/7025 ) and just maybe if enough people would do the same, Sony might get the message.
“{The ticket is not only to let them know that we know, but also to hit them where it hurts - the wallet which rests somewhat close to their b____s.)”
Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local political representatives. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance.
Also read:-
home to Sony - Japan and Sony BMG scandal, December 12, 2005
Wired News - Sony Numbers Add Up to Trouble, November 15, 2005
only a slight one - Sony BMG tries to minimise scandal, December 10, 2005
December 13th, 2005 at 12:10 pm
Maybe not, but it has been covered extensively by online media, notably PCPro.co.uk and TheRegister.co.uk/
December 13th, 2005 at 12:29 pm
Even the ‘establishment’ BBC has had a fair amount of online coverage of the problem.
December 13th, 2005 at 2:06 pm
On December 8th, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a press release on the dangers of Sony-BMG discs containing either XCP or MediaMax software.
http://www.ag.state.il.us/pressroom/2005_12/20051208b.html
In it she stated: “Although Sony BMG has discontinued using MediaMax software, the company …….”
This was the first public statement from anyone that Sony-BMG were no longer using MediaMax software, although most assumed that to be the case. The company shills on message boards, most notably Investorshub, denied suggestions that MediaMax was no longer being used, but interestingly SunnComm would not go on the public record and state Sony-BMG were continuing to use MediaMax (important information to investors, as MediaMax is their only current marketable product and Sony-BMG is by far their largest customer).
Within 4 hours of the Illinois AG’s statement being posted on Investorshub board, a poster (possible an employee as he is a known shill) claimed that he had been told by SunnComm that the Illinois Attorney General was wrong.
Any company with an ounce of integrity would issue a press release to investors letting them know the status of their deal with Sony-BMG. But instead SunnComm hides behing anonymous message board posters who ‘leak’ misleading information to investors.
Here is an excerpt and link.
“I stopped by the office today and spoke with a few different people…….
The statement from Ill. Is incorrect in that Sony/BMG has not stopped using MM…….”
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=8845268
Let’s see if SunnComm is as quick to issue a press release refuting the statement of the Illinois Attorney General as it was refuting a spoof article that appeared here on p2pnet.
December 13th, 2005 at 2:26 pm
There was an article in the Globe and Mail in the review section on Dec. 10 and this is a Canadian national newspaper. The filesharing community of course has been on top of this from day one but I think it has gotten a reasonable amount of coverage in the mainstream media at least in North America.
December 13th, 2005 at 4:42 pm
True enough. The BBC has been great. And equally true the specialist media (El Reg, The Inq and ZD-stuff) have all covered it. But then they all really like poking fun at the dinosaurs.
But look outside that to mainstream “quality” like the Guradian (sic) The Times Business section, The independent. There’s been little or nothing. Certainly no attempt to educate their readers.
But what really gets me is Amazon UK. Amazon USA have been all over this, both with offers of refunds and nasty comments on every infected CD’s page. Amazon UK seems perfectly happy to go on selling you the CDs with no questions asked.
Now look at SonyBMG UK’s web pages. Right, not a mention.
What’s particularly interesting is that in the UK we have fairly robust criminal hacking laws. It certainly looks to me as though Sony have crossed them. So where’s the prosecution?
Either this is a USA only problem or it’s not. And it’s clearly not.
December 13th, 2005 at 4:59 pm
Right. But the article says theres an outcry in the US but not in other places.
December 14th, 2005 at 7:28 pm
I’m a parent who has purchased cd’s for Christmas for my kids. I am in Canada and the local Future Shop (large music/dvd/electronics store) had no idea about the Sony problem. I heard about it on the news. I just bought two J-LO cd’s (ugh!) and I need to know if they are safe. Re-birth-dual disc, and On the 6.
I am a computer idiot so any help is appreciated.
December 15th, 2005 at 9:32 pm
World Press corps ignores Sony scandal
Better:
World Press corps protects Sony from scandal.
Sony’s payola buys press articles for Sony artisst nd movies.
The payola buys silence too!