Sony’s PSN Gets Hacked ( Bad PR)

The Situation:

Unfortunately for Sony and it’s users, the Sony Playstation Network was taken down just before Easter this year. The Playstation Network or, PSN, is a network on their console gaming system that allows users to buy games, movies, play games with other users online and a whole host of other things.

At first, Sony did not come out and say what the issue was and why the network was taken down. It then came to light that their network was hacked. As a response to Sony hassling and suing another “hacker” for jailbreaking the PS3, some rogue hackers from the group “Anonymous” hacked the PSN and was able to retrieve names, addresses, phone numbers, usernames, passwords, birth dates and even credit card numbers. Also, the PSN hack has affected more than 70 million users.

This details of the hack and the reason why they took the PSN down were officially released by Sony over a week later on their blog.

The PR Angle:

One of the biggest mistakes that Sony made was that they waited over a week to announce why the network went down. In that time, people could have alerted their credit card companies and canceled credit cards. In Sony’s defense, they stated that they had gotten help from a security team to help figure out what had happened and then took all the information they got and shaped it into a presentable format. They said as soon as they had everything they needed, they released the information. In the world of PR, waiting that long to release information that could affect people’s credit and identity is simply not an option.

Also, it was discovered that Sony was keeping users information on the servers in plain text. It was not encrypted in any way. The credit card information was hashed so it would be difficult for hackers to get the numbers, but they are still technically retrievable. As far as the names, usernames, emails and all of the other relevant information, anyone with access can read all the information the same as you’re reading this.

Another point is how they decided to finally release the information that they found. They didn’t hold a press conference, they didn’t immediately email users, they decided to write a post on the Sony PSN blog. If you didn’t know that there was a blog or that the PSN was even hacked, you would never even think to check there and you would maybe never know that your private information was in the hands of malicious hackers.

Lastly, the cherry on the top comes from Sony’s second-rate apology. They did say that they were sorry and are offering some free things to its users. The greatest thing is that they are paying for and giving every user an insurance policy that insures credit fraud up to 1 million dollars. The slap in the face though is the poor choice of tangible freebies. Users are able to choose two games from a pot of four that either came out a very long time ago and are probably already owned by most users, or games that do not have any real value. Also, users are able to choose from a select few movies to rent for free.  Another thing users were given was a free one month subscription to Playstation Plus.

Even though the hack took place about a month ago, I still feel it is relevant and that people should know about it because Sony’s online networks are actually still being hacked. After the major PSN hack, other Sony online properties started to go down. Like Sony Online Entertainment, which is the PC side of its online gaming market, and also some of its online music properties, the services were hacked and user’s information was stolen. After adding on those hacks to the original one on the PSN, the affected users count reaches above 140 million.

Guaranteed, Sony has lost many users and even consumers who were thinking about purchasing a PS3 are now turned off from that idea. With their half-baked sorry and their lousy selection of free gifts, who would go back or trust them now? If you’re a PSN user, are you going to go back to using your PS3 or are you going to sell it on eBay or Craigslist? Leave your comments below.

PSN FAQ – Restoration Questions Answered (May 16)

Kazuo Hirai: PlayStation Network Restoration Announcement

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Abuse Among New Orleans Police (Bad PR)

The Situation:

Reported by CNN, a federal investigation found that officers at the New Orleans Police Department had been engaged in much wrongdoing and misconduct that violates the Constitution and federal law. The police were found to have used excessive force, made unconstitutional stops and searches and illegally profiled based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

“Many of the New Orleans officers carry out their jobs well, unfortunately, our conclusions reveal that many New Orleans police officers have failed to live up to what we rightfully expect from our law enforcement people,” said U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole.

The report also explains that there were other things that happened in the past that showed that officers from the department engaged in illegal activity. Including a failed cover-up of a shooting of 2 individuals after Hurricane Katrina came to New Orleans.

“They also found that officers did not know the law regarding legal stops, searches and arrests. The system at the police department favored quantity of arrests over quality,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division.

“Investigators also found regular harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals,” Perez said.

The PR Angle:

What a horrible situation for the New Orleans Police Department. Citizens finding out that the police were engaged in so much illegal activity is horrible for the department’s image and also the city’s overall image.

It will take a while for people to trust the police in that city again. There are though, some things that the city can do to help remedy the situation.

1. High-ranking officials must make a great public apology
2. Find out, through investigation, who did what and when and then have their position with the police department terminated without pay and without any retirement compensation.
3. Since it was found that most of the officers didn’t know the laws regarding a lot of common things that police deal with on a daily basis, mandatory classes must be imposed on the officers and they must test in the top percentile to pass the class.
4. Officers must also attend lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and race tolerance classes and/or meetings. This is because even though the people who committed the atrocities would be terminated, there could be others that have negative feelings towards these groups but never did anything
5. Every six months the progress of the department must be investigated and reported on
6. All of these things must be done publicly so that the citizens of New Orleans know that steps are being taken to make things better

The New Orleans Police Department has a lot of work to do.

Original CNN Article

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