Board index › General Discussion › News and Current Events

sony cowes to N. Korean madman's demand to can "interview"

Page 1 of 7 [ 105 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 7  Next

Previous topic | Next topic

did sony set a bad precent by cowing to Kim?
yes they did, it gives more reason for others to do the same thing to anybody else :x 57%  57%  [ 16 ]
no, sony was backed into a corner and prudence ruled the day :| 21%  21%  [ 6 ]
meh, I don't give a rap :| 18%  18%  [ 5 ]
I'd rather eat a yummy ice cream :) 4%  4%  [ 1 ]
Total votes : 28

auntblabby
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,750
Location: the island of defective toy santas

18 Dec 2014, 5:15 am

do you think sony did the right thing by canning the release of the "interview" movie, or in your opinion was their corporate behavior craven?



androbot01
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Sep 2014
Age: 53
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,746
Location: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

18 Dec 2014, 11:36 am

This incident shows the power of cyber crime. It's a dangerous precedent. Regardless of the merit of the film, Sony's action was decided by fear. Score 1 for North Korea.



trollcatman
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Dec 2012
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,919

18 Dec 2014, 11:39 am

Perhaps they've been pressured because the Japanese government doesn't want to escalate relations with North Korea even more?



Dillogic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Nov 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,339

18 Dec 2014, 12:40 pm

I'm sure Sony and the theaters are just afraid of the lawsuits if something happened.

Though the adage, "people that make threats, don't do a thing", applies here.



trollcatman
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Dec 2012
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,919

18 Dec 2014, 12:57 pm

Dillogic wrote:
I'm sure Sony and the theaters are just afraid of the lawsuits if something happened.

Though the adage, "people that make threats, don't do a thing", applies here.


But if some idiot attacked a theater or something, how would Sony be responsible? Wouldn't they go after the person who actually commited the crime? Seems to me that a movie like this is covered under free speech.



Dillogic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Nov 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,339

18 Dec 2014, 1:03 pm

trollcatman wrote:
But if some idiot attacked a theater or something, how would Sony be responsible? Wouldn't they go after the person who actually commited the crime? Seems to me that a movie like this is covered under free speech.


Civil lawsuits. It doesn't require as much stringent doubt as criminal ones.

If you went, there's a known threat, and something happens related to said threat, then you are now wealthy (or your family is, as you're dead). The business will be blamed for not upholding their "duty of care" for you by not closing it down.

It's wrong, but that's how civil lawsuits go.



Magneto
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jun 2009
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,086
Location: Blighty

18 Dec 2014, 1:06 pm

My understanding is that the theaters decided not to screen it, and so there wasn't much point in Sony releasing it.



androbot01
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Sep 2014
Age: 53
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,746
Location: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

18 Dec 2014, 1:10 pm

Sony may be more worried about more "secrets" being revealed by the hackers.



cberg
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Dec 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 12,183
Location: A swiftly tilting planet

18 Dec 2014, 1:18 pm

trollcatman wrote:
Perhaps they've been pressured because the Japanese government doesn't want to escalate relations with North Korea even more?


Good point, furthermore I would surmise from a geek industry standpoint that Sony's IT security contractors conscientiously objected out of deference towards the families of the N.K. attackers. Even if this was in fact the work of a Chinese for-profit collective, failure still would've been seen as rationale for severe upheaval in Pyongyang.


_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos :mrgreen:


Last edited by cberg on 18 Dec 2014, 1:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Dantac
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,672
Location: Florida

18 Dec 2014, 1:21 pm

CIA could just purchase the movie secretely and release it for free on the web under an anonymous hacker group pseudonym and stick it to the little fat guy.



cberg
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Dec 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 12,183
Location: A swiftly tilting planet

18 Dec 2014, 1:25 pm

Dantac wrote:
CIA could just purchase the movie secretely and release it for free on the web under an anonymous hacker group pseudonym and stick it to the little fat guy.


Anons would see through that immediately via process of elimination on IRC and Pyongyang's response would be exactly the same as if Sony were to release it. The CIA is devious but they don't like to get anyone hurt whom they can't gather information on.


_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos :mrgreen:


Kraichgauer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 47,800
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.

18 Dec 2014, 4:19 pm

I think it's a huge mistake to back down to, and placate a totalitarian regime.


_________________
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


auntblabby
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 113,750
Location: the island of defective toy santas

18 Dec 2014, 4:53 pm

I would bet good money, that his is just the tip of the iceberg, there will be more such attacks. many more, the floodgates are open.



Dillogic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Nov 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,339

18 Dec 2014, 5:08 pm

If they make it so you can't sue someone for pretty much no reason and win a ton of money from it, these things will always work unless someone is willing to lose money for their convictions.

Most people sell out.



andrethemoogle
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 Sep 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,254
Location: Sol System

18 Dec 2014, 6:17 pm

Did North Korea do similar threats when Team America was released? If they did, then this is pure cowardice from Sony (I even consider them cowards if it didn't happen before)

North Korea is a country full of batshit crazy people, they've threatened countries before for more serious things (like military training drills near the DMZ), so I don't get why they would pull the movie over this threat.



Kraichgauer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 47,800
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.

18 Dec 2014, 9:09 pm

andrethemoogle wrote:
Did North Korea do similar threats when Team America was released? If they did, then this is pure cowardice from Sony (I even consider them cowards if it didn't happen before)

North Korea is a country full of batshit crazy people, they've threatened countries before for more serious things (like military training drills near the DMZ), so I don't get why they would pull the movie over this threat.


That had actually been Kim Jung Un's old man made fun of in that movie. I suspect he didn't even know they were parodying him with a puppet.


_________________
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer