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If you haven't been following this story closely, Sony just announced that they would discontinue selling CDs that installed software on your computer that 1) hid itself on computers by using root-kit technology; and 2) opened a remote access connection that called out to Sony (or one of its agencies). This exposed users' computers to worms that took advantage of the stealth technology.

As Molly Wood of CNET states in the above-linked article:

Let's make this a bit more explicit. You buy a CD. You put the CD into your PC in order to enjoy your music. Sony grabs this opportunity to sneak into your house like a virus and set up camp, and it leaves the backdoor open so that Sony or any other enterprising intruder can follow and have the run of the place. If you try to kick Sony out, it trashes the place.

Pretty outrageous, eh?

Consumer backlash has been intense since the news came out, and Sony may even have broken the law with this new procedure.

You'd think this would be the end of the story, right? Nooooooo..is the answer.

This article, also from CNET, details where we stand as of today.

For you techno-geeks, this article details how it was discovered.

And finally, Sony says 20 CD titles use this form of copy protection, from British firm First-4-Internet, but it won't say which titles. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit civil-liberties group, identifies 19 on its website, from artists including Neil Diamond, Van Zant, Celine Dion and Switchfoot. This page is also helpful in recognizing if your CD is infected with Sony's root-key technology.

Speak up with your wallets and boycott Sony products!

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