OK, so I'm just trying to increase my chances of being read...
But before you turn that virtual page, consider this: Sony Music wants to control your Windows or Macintosh PC and obtain your personal data without your consent, and has hatched a cunning strategy to do just that.
Certain Sony music CD's now available in stores have 'digital rights management' (DRM) software on them which, if the CD is placed in your computer's CD-ROM drive, will install 'a trojan that opens security vulnerabilities through rootkit functionality' along with 'a media player that phones home to Sony BMG, sending information which could be used to compile profiles of the CDs played on a given computer.' If you try to remove the offending trojan, your Windows system may become unstable and require reinstalling. Sony has provided a downloadable 'patch' to get rid of the offending software, but you can only run it from Sony's web site, 'which involves releasing personally identifiable information for marketing use by Sony BMG and undisclosed third parties.'
Great stuff, Sony Music! Too bad your online privacy policy doesn't extend to your offline business practices:
'We do not collect personally identifiable information about you on this site without your knowledge, and all such information is collected directly from you.'
It's only a matter of time before some smart hacker figures out how to exploit the vulnerabilities created by Sony's DRM software, takes control of thousands of computers, and then launches a botnet attack right back at Sony. You heard it here first!
Think twice folks before try you load that new Shakira or Destiny's Child CD into iTunes!
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