Judge Awards Sony With Visitor IDs of PS3 Hacker's Website

[Tom Goldman]

Judge Awards Sony With Visitor IDs of PS3 Hacker's Website

Anyone that visited PlayStation 3 hacker George Hotz's website from 2009 onward is now in Sony's books.

The latest development in the case of Sony vs. PlayStation 3 Hackers [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106865-Sony-Breaks-Out-the-Lawyers-Over-PS3-Hacks] has seen a federal magistrate turn over the identities of anyone that visited George "GeoHot" Hotz's website in the past two years to Sony. Sony said it needed the information to prove part of its case against Hotz, and the magistrate agreed.

Magistrate Joseph Spero has allowed Sony to subpoena Hotz's web provider to obtain "documents reproducing all server logs, IP address logs, account information, account access records and application or registration forms," along with "any other identifying information corresponding to persons or computers who have accessed or downloaded files" from Hotz's website. Sony will use this information to prove that Hotz distributed PS3 jailbreak materials and to demonstrate that enough visitors of the site are located within the California court's jurisdiction, which is an current issue [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106990-PlayStation-3-Hacking-Lawsuit-Hits-a-Snag] in the case.

Further, Sony was awarded with a Google subpoena to acquire the logs of Hotz's blog, one for Hotz's YouTube account that demands the information of everyone that watched and commented on his PS3 jailbreak video, and a Twitter subpoena related to Hotz's tweets and any associated "names, addresses, and telephone numbers." Sony currently plans to use this information only for the previously stated purpose, and not to sue everyone on the planet.

Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney calls the subpoenas "inappropriate" and "overly broad." When you're demanding the location of someone that posted "LOL" to a YouTube video, yeah, I'd call that pretty inappropriate too.

Source: Wired [http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/03/geohot-site-unmasking/]

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[Veldel]

Better watch out better look out im tellling you why because Sony is comming for YOU


OT: Sony is getting alot of info of so many people I wonder how many people have id's they got

 

[Kenjitsuka]

So when are they going to sue the Escapists ISP so they can find out who commented on this comment on the case?

 

[Raesvelg]

Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney calls the subpoenas "inappropriate" and "overly broad." When you're demanding the location of someone that posted "LOL" to a YouTube video, yeah, I'd call that pretty inappropriate too.

Would you consider it inappropriate to subpoena someone who witnessed an accident, chuckled, and walked off?

 

[manythings]

Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney calls the subpoenas "inappropriate" and "overly broad." When you're demanding the location of someone that posted "LOL" to a YouTube video, yeah, I'd call that pretty inappropriate too.

Would you consider it inappropriate to subpoena someone who witnessed an accident, chuckled, and walked off?

Yes, those two things are exactly equal. Like how walking by a school is the same as attempting have sex with children.

So when are they going to sue the Escapists ISP so they can find out who commented on this comment on the case?

Google already knows...

 

[qazmatoz]

This is going too far. As far as I know, these PS3 hacks haven't even been remotely detrimental to the company, and subpoenaing a list of anyone who so much as even stumbled upon these sites is ridiculous.

Are they going to go after Kevin Butler too after he put the code in his twitter?

 

[qazmatoz]

Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney calls the subpoenas "inappropriate" and "overly broad." When you're demanding the location of someone that posted "LOL" to a YouTube video, yeah, I'd call that pretty inappropriate too.

Would you consider it inappropriate to subpoena someone who witnessed an accident, chuckled, and walked off?

Yes because there is no legal grounds to that at all.

 

[chinangel]

Hey, sony is being a colossal phallus about this. Who's surprised? Even slightly?

 

[Arachon]

This is just outrageous. Guess it show how easily judges can be bought.

And the fact that people defend this because "there will be hackers on PSN now" is mindboggling. Gaming community seems to be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome

 

[gibboss28]

as I said in a previous post:

I wish Sony would get a grip, this entire thing is the equivalent of Sony slipping on a bit of ice, and then flinging their own shit at the people who saw it happen.

Because all of this is simply about Sony being pissed off about the fact someone showed them up.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Hmm i believe this theme would fit this perfectly


Wtf Sony don't you think you're going a little bit too far?

 

[Easton Dark]

Oh crap, I think I watched that video a few months ago when I first heard about this guy.

THEY'RE AT THE WIND- *crash*

 

[ksn0va]

WTF! I might have went and took a peek at his stuff just to see what all the fuss was about and now I might be in trouble? I don't even own a ps3! Bollocks!

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I don't know what's more frightening; that this information exists, that this information can be subpoena'd or the workload of whoever has to find/collate/sort this.

Equally that it wouldn't have taken much for Sony employees based in California to visit Hotz's site, or that Sony could even present this information back to the court.

Would you consider it inappropriate to subpoena someone who witnessed an accident, chuckled, and walked off?

I'd consider it inappropriate to subpoena someone in the vicinity of an accident, if said person couldn't have seen it because they were there days before it even happened.

Sony's asking for the details of everyone that's ever walked past the site, no matter on what day.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

Dear California legal system,
The internet is not your jurisdiction. We have our own police here
Regards,
Europe

Someone really needs to get round to defining international internet information laws. To have the California court hand over records of everyone breaks laws in other countries (e.g data protection act).

A Californian court could give information on people who arn't even subject to it's legal system and never intend to have any interactions with california (*Greetings from Europe*)? This is not good.

 

[Rayne870]

this is just stupid on sony's part. it is also stupid that so much hinges on whether or not the case is handled in California.

 

[whaleswiththumbs]

Sony, quit being as ass, I personally extend an apology on the behalf of myself and anyone who backs this statement. But just because you can't back up the claim that you were unbeatable security-wise and stepped on your toe while you built a sand castle, doesn't mean that you get to just stomp on everyone's sand castle at the beach

 

[similar.squirrel]

Is it really wise to do this in light of what Anonymous has been up to lately? I think Sony has dropped the ball on this. Or the soap. In the communal prison shower.

 

[Scabadus]

Magistrate Joseph Spero has allowed Sony to subpoena Hotz's web provider to obtain "documents reproducing all server logs, IP address logs, account information, account access records and application or registration forms," along with "any other identifying information corresponding to persons or computers who have accessed or downloaded files" from Hotz's website.

So who else is wondering if this judge realises that your computer will automatically download a file from a website when you type it into the browser's address bar? Sony may or may not be in the right to get information on people who purposfully downloaded software to hack the PS3, but it sounds like this judge doesn't know a thing about how the internet works.

 

[Formica Archonis]

Further, Sony was awarded with a Google subpoena to acquire the logs of Hotz's blog, one for Hotz's YouTube account that demands the information of everyone that watched and commented on his PS3 jailbreak video, and a Twitter subpoena related to Hotz's tweets and any associated "names, addresses, and telephone numbers." Sony currently plans to use this information only for the previously stated purpose, and not to sue everyone on the planet.

And I believe them. After all, it's not like Sony's a major member of the RIAA or something [http://beckermanlegal.com/pdf/?file=/Documents.htm&s=SONY_v_Tenenbaum].

Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney calls the subpoenas "inappropriate" and "overly broad." When you're demanding the location of someone that posted "LOL" to a YouTube video, yeah, I'd call that pretty inappropriate too.

Ain't it great? All your personal information dropped in the lap of a major corporation over a CIVIL suit. Next step: Some overweight redneck on The People's Court gets your name and phone number because you were seen within 2 blocks of a garage sale where his ex-wife was selling some of his stuff.

This is nuts. I'm going to have to get an Ipredator account just to surf goddamn Youtube.