Rick Rubin Discloses Sony Rootkit Called Home

caffeinemessiah writes "Rick Rubin, the legendary music producer, recently signed on as co-head of Columbia Records, which is owned by Sony BMG. In a recent New York Times interview (on pg. 4 of the online version), he discloses, possibly accidentally: 'It was the highest debut of Neil [Diamond]'s career, off to a great start. But Columbia — it was some kind of corporate thing — had put spyware on the CD. That kept people from copying it, but it also somehow recorded information about whoever bought the record...' Seems like the rootkit might have been a little more than your vanilla invade-your-rights-DRM scheme."

Comments

Re:root kit?

[Anonymous Coward]

Although somewhat difficult to understand at first, I find that as an allegory for DRM, your story works quite well.

Re:A simpler solution

[Purity Of Essence]

I don't know, he might know plenty about systems. RJR and RMS are practically twins.

Neil Diamond proposed this scheme decades ago

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, one, touching one, reaching out
Touching me, touching you...

Won't affect anybody

[sunderland56]

The number of people who own a computer, are technically smart enough to listen to music on it, and who listen to Neil Diamond, is zero.

Re:A simpler solution

[jollyreaper]

Maybe it didn't phone home, and Rick Rubin (a music producer, not a computer geek) just doesn't understand what the root kit did. Have you seen the way Rick Rubin looks? He could have easily fallen out of Richard Stallman's beard. When someone who looks like that tells me something, I listen. Or tell him I don't have any spare change; I guess it depends on what he says.

HOLY GOD!!!!!

[j00r0m4nc3r]

Now that Sony knows the true identities of all the Neil Diamond fans, they can now complete their deathstar and will be the ultimate power in the universe!

Re:Misleading Title

[shakestheclown]

sounds like multi player Microsoft Bob to me...

Re:And yet

[Scrameustache]

And yet Sony has walked away with less than a slap on the wrist.

Replace "Sony" with "Al Queda" or "North Korea" in the same story and see how it reads. Amusing, isn't it? Now now, don't be silly. Al Quaeda and NK are nowhere near as powerful as Sony ;-)

Re: Falling out of Richard Stallman's Beard?

[TaoPhoenix]

Should we tell Rob Manuel so he can update Name That Beard?

http://www2.b3ta.com/namethatbeard/