Sony in hot water

Sony BMG got themselves in trouble recently when it was revealed that they have adding software to some of the music CDs they sell in order to prevent piracy. Windows can auto-execute software on an inserted CD-ROM, and with the CDs in question this leads to the installation of a piece of software called a "rootkit" - it's installed in such a way that even the operating system doesnt really know it's there, and it's very difficult to remove. The intent was to prevent the copying of CDs, but researchers who discovered the rootkit found the software was poorly written and would leave your PC open to hackers. It's also installed without your consent, reports information about you back to Sony, violates the rights of a 3rd-party software developer whose component is included, and doesnt have an uninstaller. The uproar from this discovery caused Sony to grudgingly offer an "uninstaller" from a website, and the uninstaller itself opens your browser to attacks from hackers as it's also very poorly written.
Boing Boing have been tracking the Sony case as it progresses, check out the history at http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/14/sony_anticustomer_te.html
Sony's approach has put people off the legitimate purchase of music, angered the artists and consumers, and done nothing to promote the reduction of piracy. Not only that, but if you read the 3,000 word EULA (end-user license agreement) that comes with these cds you'll see how crazy their policies are (check out http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004145.php for the full analysis of the EULA).

Check it out...