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Sony Settles With FTC Over Rootkits

Posted by kdawson on from the wrist-slap dept.

The FTC has struck a deal with Sony punishing Sony for the rootkits it included on millions of CDs in 2005. The deal is exactly like the Texas and California settlements — $150 a rootkit. The settlement isn't final yet. There will be a 30-day public consultation. American citizens who read Slashdot might want to put in their two cents. Comments will be accepted through March 1 at: FTC, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580 (snail mail only). Here is the FTC page announcing the settlement.

3 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Meanwhile, RIAA wants $750 per song... by Zaatxe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Isn't that a little unfair?

    --
    So say we all
  2. If someone in their basement pulled the exact..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ....same thing, their asses would be in the slammer in no time. Sony souldn't be treated any different. This was a computer crime, plain and simple.

  3. Understatement of the year... by Panaqqa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    According to the FTC, the software also exposed consumers to significant security risks and was unreasonably difficult to uninstall.

    Huh? "Reasonably difficult"? This damned thing broke Russinovich's machine, and he had to use several utilities he developed himself to get rid of it by looking deeper into the Windows OS than I think Microsoft ever intended (or wanted) anyone to look. How many /. denizens would have looked for this little gem using named pipes to communicate?

    "Difficult to uninstall"? Right...