I thought about mentioning the root kit as well, since a lot of people get schadenfreude-y over it. I greatly disliked the root kit and that whole approach to treating your customers like criminals (d/b/a DRM), but I don't see this attack as giving Sony their just desserts.
The root kit was attached to Sony BMG's products (CDs), and this current attack was against Sony Pictures. Sony is a giant conglomerate with 140,000 employees and who knows how many child companies. To top it off, Sony BMG was a 50/50 joint venture with Bertlesmann. The root kits first appeared on BMG CDs, suggesting that it originated at Bertlesmann and not Sony (although I don't know that and it doesn't excuse Sony anyway).
While it's hard to measure the impact that the root kit had on Sony BMG's customers, it's safe to assume that most of them did not have their personal data disseminated all over the Internet and in newspapers. Whereas that's the reality Sony Pictures and their employees are currently dealing with.
It also happened eight years ago. While not everyone may forget or forgive, I think it's more productive to respond to the way Sony treats me as a customer today versus a decade ago. That's how you encourage better behavior from a company, by rewarding them for doing a better job.
The root kit was attached to Sony BMG's products (CDs), and this current attack was against Sony Pictures. Sony is a giant conglomerate with 140,000 employees and who knows how many child companies. To top it off, Sony BMG was a 50/50 joint venture with Bertlesmann. The root kits first appeared on BMG CDs, suggesting that it originated at Bertlesmann and not Sony (although I don't know that and it doesn't excuse Sony anyway).
While it's hard to measure the impact that the root kit had on Sony BMG's customers, it's safe to assume that most of them did not have their personal data disseminated all over the Internet and in newspapers. Whereas that's the reality Sony Pictures and their employees are currently dealing with.
It also happened eight years ago. While not everyone may forget or forgive, I think it's more productive to respond to the way Sony treats me as a customer today versus a decade ago. That's how you encourage better behavior from a company, by rewarding them for doing a better job.