UPDATE: PS3 Hacker GeoHot Claims He's on Vacation

[MorphingDragon]

Seriously Considering not buying a PS4. I'll just rent one to play the games i want to play. You know, unless SecuROm comes to Consoles, then I might just go on a RAMPAAAAAAGE!!1

 

[mysecondlife]

Sony is gonna look REALLY SILLY when it just turns out he went to go visit his South American family

jeez, people, it was a joke. clearly illustrated by the "" thrown in the mix!

feel free to say "I told you so" to all these people here.

 

[AceAngel]

Sony makes a statement, everyone believes them. GeoHotz makes a different statement, and people believe him.

Frankly speaking, both sides are bad and both sides have week arguments at best. So unless Geo gets back, he will be considered flight risk.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Anyone would need a vacation after that much heat.

the motion said. "He explained that he had purchased one of these consoles new in February 2010 and provided the serial number for that console. SCEA used that serial number to determine that on February 25, 2010, Hotz purchased the PS3 System at a Gamestop store just miles from his home. CEA's records show that the same PS3 System was used on March 10, 2010 to create a PSN account under the user name 'blickmanic.' The IP address associated with the registration is located in Glen Rock, New Jersey, where Hotz lives."

That's some CIA shit right there.

So, does this mean that the Xbox 360 Headset I purchased at a GameStop today can be traced back to me by the store I bought it at, and without my consent?

Seriously, this '1984' s*** just needs to stop. It's about time that a Judge declared that the EULA does not carry the legal weight of a signed legal document.

This isn't exactly Batman shit going on here. IP Addresses are easy enough to track, though assuming that his ISP uses dynamic IP addresses, they won't be able to go much further than that. And I'm not surprised that stores are tracking the sale of specific serial numbers. Now when Sony starts submitting recordings they captured from Geohot's EyeToy, then I'll start pulling out the tin foil hat.

 

[MR.Spartacus]

This'll seem a bit off but looking at that picture...






...yeah that's a face you could punch. What all is he guilty of now? Violating the EULA, violating a court order, and fraud? Did I miss anything? Can't really say this surprises me though.

So Geohot made a Geohop when they put him on the Geospot

Well played.

 

[Korten12]

Hard to believe him. Honestly he is still a douche. Sure he may have planned this back in Novemember, but who would leave during a court case on vacation? What do Lawyers decide half-way through a court-case to go on vacation?

 

[Quaidis]

This'll seem a bit off but looking at that picture...






...yeah that's a face you could punch. What all is he guilty of now? Violating the EULA, violating a court order, and fraud? Did I miss anything? Can't really say this surprises me though.

You missed 'tampering with evidence' and 'fleeing the country under a criminal investigation'. Even if he did 'go on vacation', it's obvious he didn't warn the courts or hiw lawyers ahead of time. I personally believe he's bullshitting it.

 

[sunburst]

Ugh. ITT: People who have no goddamn clue how lawsuits work. A lot of you need to realize that GeoHot has not been charged with any crime. Sony has filed a civil suit against him seeking monetary compensation for damages. He has absolutely no reason to flee the damn continent. There's also no reason he shouldn't go on vacation whenever he feels like it. Remember, he's not under arrest. He can go wherever he wants. We didn't know where he was going? Awesome! I'm glad he still has his privacy. He doesn't owe you a heads up when he wants to take a trip.

As for the whole tampering with evidence claim, I don't have the slightest clue how true that is. You definitely cannot just take Sony's word for it. Accusing your opponent of any technical violations you can dig up is somewhere near the top of page 1 of The Big Book of Corporate Lawsuits.

So the only bit of relevant information is Sony's alleged proof that a PSN account was registered on one of GeoHot's systems. That is quite big. Given the current mood toward hacking in the legal world, I doubt they need to present anything more than that as proof he agreed to the TOS. Sony should have an easier time getting the case heard in California and now GeoHot will have to argue against the validity of EULAs as well. Everything has suddenly become more complicated for him. I do hope he's ready for this. He'll have to be in for the long haul if he wants to win.

 

[Aris Khandr]

So, does this mean that the Xbox 360 Headset I purchased at a GameStop today can be traced back to me by the store I bought it at, and without my consent?

If you bought it with a credit card, yes. It wouldn't even be that hard.

It's about time that a Judge declared that the EULA does not carry the legal weight of a signed legal document.

Why? Because you don't like what they say? So don't agree to it, don't use the products containing them, and all of your problems are solved.

 

[Scars Unseen]

What all is he guilty of now? Violating the EULA, violating a court order, and fraud? Did I miss anything? Can't really say this surprises me though.

What is he guilty of? Nothing. This isn't a criminal case, and no court decision has been made yet in any case. Unless you didn't mean legally, in which case I'd just say that he's mostly guilty of being unlikeable. It says so here in his file: unlikeable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikeable loner whose passing shall not be mourned. "Shall not be mourned." That's exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says he was adopted. So that's funny too.

One of these days I'm going to be able to use that word without quoting Portal. But not today, apparently.

 

[gundamrx101]

Rather than make an update I'll just post this right here. No matter what he says he's still a s*** disturber. Everything would have been fine if he didn't post the rootkey. Don't give me any of that 'It's on the hardware' bullcrap. It's software managed and ditributed by Sony for free to all of us, all they ask is that we don't, oh I dunno, tamper with it, or distripute it. This isn't about product freedom or how evil corporations are. It's about a silly douche, who obtained a piece of software and then illiegally distributed it. Some people would have used it to mod, others would have used it to pirate. Doesn't matter, it's the fact that he broke into software he doesn't have any claim over. We didn't buy it and firmware doesn't function the way an OS does. The way I really see this, is that people are supporting illiegal software distribution and then condemning a company trying to protect their product/investment.


Ofcourse the company is going to go crazy (hahaha! fo cereal).
As for his 'TEH FURDIM' attitude. He's not in it for the freedom. No shut it. You know how to cover the fact you illiegally obtained a product and then illiegally distributed it? For freedom. It's amazing how you can make anything a 'freedom' fight.

As for the future of console gaming? Either way, whoever wins means negative changes. Goergey wins? People cane function the console like a PC now, cool! Oh hey an email from some woman lemme just open that *?*&$&?*()$%?# VIRUS. If Sony wins, hell we'd be lucky if they don't go Big Brother on everyone.

I don't support either side as Sony is whinning and he started all this by disturbing teh s***

 

[Nerdygamer89]

Tampering with evidence... violating court order... yeah, that's a couple felonies right there. If he's in Cuba though, it doesn't matter. The Cuban government usually gives a big "fuck you" to extradition requests by the U.S. from my understanding.

 

[xXDeMoNiCXx]

Who would EVER take a picture of themselves that.. douchéy?

Cause he knows that only idiots judge people by their pictures.

 

[Echo136]

I thought the Escapist would support the rights of gamers.
Yeah he fled, but that's not the point. Sony is still in the wrong.

"Sony has proof that Hotz created a PlayStation Network account and therefore agreed to the PSN User Agreement"
So what? The PSN UA is BS!

The point of this article is that he's not a gamer he's a cock. I think he's a cock because he took advantage of people like you who believed Sony was wrong and that the case should go to court and be won.

But because of this he won't ever win, people won't listen and things won't change because he acted like a criminal. and that's what people will remember after all this.

SONY is wrong, him being a dick or fleeing the country doesn't change that... just adds it to SONY being wrong.

That makes absolutely no sense. Half the people in this thread seem to be just painting a target on Sony's head calling them wrong and basically saying they are evil on the basis that they are a big corporation and all big corporations by definition dont deserve the money they have and will always shit on the little guy. It makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. They are protecting their property. Anyone who says that Hotz is in the right in doing what he's doing is either a hacker, in denial, or just stupid. He's breaking the law on multiple accounts, and now he's committed fraud.

 

[PrototypeC]

No, it actually doesn't look good still for this guy to-holy shit... Justin Timberlake? Is that you??

 

[FogHornG36]

Never mind

 

[Silent Biohazard Solid]

Well, let him enjoy his vacation then. That doesn't change the fact that he tampered with the evidence.

 

[city cider]

Making a fake header that lies, just so people will read your topic is bad. just saying.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Hey Sony I'm such a cocky douche that I'm going to go on spring break and not even present to care about our case. Lawl, I troll you.

yeah If I had a pending court case I think I might cancel my travel plans. I don't what your opinion is on him being so confident that he goes to South America on vacation as schedule not even missing at beat at court proceedings says just how cocky this guy is.