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First PS3 Jailbreaker Arrested In South Africa

Posted by timothy on from the how-quaintly-soviet-of-them dept.

GusGous writes "South African newspaper Beeld reports that the first person known to be arrested for jailbreaking the Playstation 3 was arrested in Parktown, Johannesburg today. This raid was conducted by the South African Police Service's Commercial Crime Unit, after receiving criminal complaints from the South African Federation Against Copyright Theft (SAFACT). Members of the police were assisted by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Computer Forensics Lab. The police confiscated goods of around R100 000 (14000 USD)." See also this story in Afrikaans; Google translation.

3 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. The war on information continues... by mykos · · Score: 0, Troll

    With any luck, we might look back in 50 years and laugh (or rage) at the idea that corporations thought that information could be controlled and owned, that we threw some of our brightest people in prison to rot for spreading that information, regardless of whether or not the spreading was for profit.

    If people can make money off their ideas, then more power to 'em. But the monopolization of thought is going to cost humanity big time in the long term.

  2. Re:PS3 jailbreaking by gman003 · · Score: 1, Troll

    Well, you're working off a set of assumptions I didn't make. For instance, I am of the opinion that piracy performed for a profit should be illegal, while piracy on the individual level should at least be decriminalized, if not legalized.

    Think of it this way. If you're pirating something, why should you be giving money to somebody else, who has done nothing to produce the work? That makes no sense to me.

  3. Re:PS3 jailbreaking by AK+Marc · · Score: 1, Troll

    I do. Between the TV, all the phones (three with a sicker price o $1000 or more), the four laptops, the PC (quite the beast, can record HD OTA, and multiple TB of storage media PC that is also a gaming box, if you list its value as the sum of the retail prices of the parts that make it up, it'd likely be $5k or more) and all the gaming consoles, I'm over $14k. Now I feel like updating my home insurance itemization...

    A "nerd" that doesn't have over $14k in electronics isn't, and thus this "news for nerds" site isn't for them...

    --
    Learn to love Alaska