Blogger's Pressure Forces Sony To Reveal Files Hidden On Consumer Computers

After an explosive blog entry at Mark Russinovich's highly technical blog Sony Music announced yesterday that it would release a patch to reveal copy protection code it secretly installed on consumer's PCs.

Some Windows experts quickly claimed the files were security breaches while consumer and privacy advocates geared up for a battle. Just as quickly as the furor was created, however, the company backed down and issued a patch that would uninstall the software.

Consumers can visit SonyBMG at http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/faq.html. After wading through a series of carefully worded talking points, consumers will be able to uninstall the software from their computer -- with the provision that the CD will no longer be playable on their computer. The company also requires a questionnaire be filled out before advancing to the download page.

Consumer Help Web believes in protecting intellectual property rights, but also believes that SonyBMG has placed an onerous burden on consumers that should be immediately lifted. The option to use the computer as a playback device without the installation of hidden tracking software should be a given, not a privilege.

posted by Consumer Help Web Editorial Team at 11:21 AM |