psn

As Sony works to bring its PlayStation Network back online following a security breach last week, more government agencies are seeking answers from the company.

The U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to Sony Computer Entertainment America Chairman Kazuo Hirai today, posing more than a dozen questions about the nature of the breach, Sony's policy on data protection and privacy, and its plans for compensating customers.

In the letter, the committee's chairwoman Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) said it would like to know how the intrusion on Sony's network occurred … Read more

Apple wants iPhone users to know that it is not stalking them.

The company finally broke its silence on the iPhone tracking controversy in an FAQ posted to its Web site, saying it's only trying to get more accurate location information. The fact that Apple has been storing location information on consumer devices--unencrypted and without a customers' permission--has caused an uproar in the privacy community.

In the FAQ, Apple says that it is not tracking users whereabouts. Instead it said it is logging the locations of Wi-Fi hot spots and cell phone towers that are close to the iPhone … Read more

Sony is a venerable name in the world of consumer electronics. This is, after all, the company that invented the CD, the Walkman, the Blu-ray Disc, and has made a deep impression on the tech world and mainstream culture.

That's why when Sony screws up--something a company is apt to do every now and again while in business more than half a century--it's notable. Sometimes it's a singular event, other times it's a product with high expectations that ends up being a dud.

The latest mistake, the hacking of PlayStation Network customers' personal data, is … Read more

Every night it's the same forlorn ritual. I watch my TV, read my books, chase the cat into the bathroom and back--all in a vain effort to fill the gaping emptiness inside. Invariably at some point my hands reach for the beloved black controller, where I try--even though I know it won't work, but still you never know--to log on to the online network of my Sony PS3 game console.

It's been 7 days now (or is it 7,000?) since the Sony PlayStation Network went down. We've since learned the company is taking the extreme step of rebuilding its network after a massive hacking attack. E-mail addresses, passwords, purchase history--and almost certainly credit card numbers--all sucked up by persons unknown.

I wish I could get riled up over this latest security breach, but honestly it's the third time in three years I've received notification that my credit information may have been compromised. At this point in the Digital Age, I've become reconciled to the fact that lots of strangers are rummaging through the underwear drawer of my credit history.

What's truly disheartening about Sony's security fumble is how much I miss posting my best scores on the Sony network. And more insidiously, the addictive nature of video games.

My name is SunnyD11 and I am a PixelJunk Monsters addict. … Read more

After a week of PlayStation users wondering why they couldn't access PlayStation Network, Sony dropped the bomb yesterday: someone had gained access illegally to the personal information of more than 75 million of its users, forcing the company to shut down PlayStation Network and rebuild it, along with the related media download service Qriocity.

Sony had issued a few brief updates late last week and over the weekend acknowledging the service's outage and then an "external intrusion," but it didn't explain the consequences until yesterday.

The information exposed includes customer names; addresses; e-mail addresses; birthdays; … Read more

Like clockwork, the first lawsuit resulting from the security breach of the personal data of more than 75 million Sony PlayStation Network customers has been filed.

The suit was filed today on behalf of Kristopher Johns, 36, of Birmingham, Ala., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Johns accuses Sony of not taking "reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users."

He also believes Sony took too long to notify him and other customers that their personal information had been exposed. Because of that, the complaint … Read more

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Sony admits to a major security breach in the PlayStation Network

YouTube may be poised to take on Netflix in the movie rental business

The Nexus S 4G will launch on Sprint on May 8

The updated Nook Color will let authors sign your digital books

What a week for video game news! As PSN outages continue to plague PlayStation 3s, Sony has finally declared the incident a "compromise of personal information" and a "malicious act." Does this mean our credit card info has been tossed into the Internet void? Nevermind that, we just want to be able to play Mortal Kombat online again.

Last night's Tribeca Film Festival screening of L.A. Noire marked the first time a video game was spotlighted at the big event. Jeff was there for the screening and Q&A that preceded; plus he'll give us some thoughts on an entire case he played a few weeks ago.

Since Nintendo has confirmed that the successor to the Wii will debut at E3 2011 and go on sale next year, we'll play an interesting voicemail that speculates on how players will interact with the new console.… Read more

Sony acknowledged today that the personal information of its PlayStation Network customers has been compromised.

The company posted an update on its blog today warning its more than 70 million customers that their personal information, including customer names, addresses, e-mail addresses, birthdays, PlayStation Network and Qriocity passwords, and user names, as well as online user handles, was obtained illegally by an "unauthorized person." The data was accessed between April 17 and 19, according to Sony.

With respect to credit card information, which many users have given to Sony in order to purchase or rent content via the service, … Read more