They were savaged by those who ”want everything to be free.” Sony links attempts to modify PS3s to run ‘Other OS’ as acts of software piracy, not ‘freedom’.
The argument from hackers, at least when this all began, was that not everyone who wants to continue running the Other OS feature is after free games on the PlayStation 3. Sony withdrew the option through firmware citing ‘security reasons’.
”We believe that we first became the subject of attack because we tried to protect our IP (intellectual property), our content, in this case videogames,” said Stringer.
Ironically this withdrawal led to one of the greatest network security breaches ever, certainly for the videogames industry, crippling the PlayStation Network for weeks and weeks. It seems Sony still see ‘Other OS’ sympathisers as ‘pirates in waiting’.
”These are our corporate assets, and there are those that don’t want us to protect them, they want everything to be free,” he continued. Initial hacks were ‘protests’ to be able to use bought hardware however the consumer sees fit.
Unfortunately the situation, which at first may have had some public support, soon turned ugly as it spiralled out of control and hacking groups smelled blood in the water as the PlayStation Network was knocked out. Japan remains without PSN for the time being.
