Wired News: Boycott Sony
After weeks of criticism, Sony has finally agreed to temporarily stand down on an abusive and likely illegal copy restriction practice. Hold the applause.
On Friday, the world's second-biggest record label pledged to temporarily stop making CDs that leave computers vulnerable to security breaches. This is a step in the right direction, but it does not go nearly far enough toward correcting a serious ethical lapse. In fact, it is proof positive that Sony is unworthy of our trust or our business.
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The software, which Sony included on 20 or more recent CDs, gives no warning of the rootkit, nor does it inform users that it prompts PCs to contact a Sony website for updated lyrics or art, and in the process, reveals the user's internet address and details about how often the CD has been played.
Friday's announcement was inadequate to say the least. Sony, which has yet to say how many CDs carrying the XCP software remain on store shelves, stopped short of issuing a recall, a necessary step if consumers are ever to trust Sony with their computers again. And it still owes customers who have loaded the XCP software onto their machines an easy way to get rid of it.
Add to these failures the utter lack of contrition shown by the label and its executives and you get what's effectively an unforgivable combination. "We stand by content protection technology as an important tool to protect our intellectual property rights and those of our artists," Sony said in Friday's statement announcing the temporary suspension.
All of which goes to show that a mealy-mouthed apology is worse than no apology at all.