Friday, September 16, 2011

Sony asks gamers to give up rights to sue for security breaches



As Sony tackles its security issues for the PSN, the company has implemented a new policy that will have players waive the right to collectively sue the company for any future security breaches. As most are aware, Sony has suffered several attacks on its PlayStation Network that have compromised the account information of over 100 million accounts. This news comes just over two weeks after Sony named Philip Reitinger to head up their online security. Reitinger formerly worked on cyber security and computer crimes at the Department of Homeland Security.

Their is an option for customers to opt out of the new policy, provided they send a letter to Sony's L.A. headquarters within the next 30 days. However, these customers will still have to agree to the policy before they are able to access their PSN account.

A visceral reaction may lead you to think that this is downright unfair to the gamers and maybe it is in some respects. It's not at all unreasonable that Sony's customers expect the company to be a reliable steward of their personal and billing information. However, as with all things online gaming, its a "use at your own risk" product. Just as online content for games is not rated by the ESRB, it's impossible to guarantee complete digital security. There is a need for caution when deciding what information you put out there.

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