General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHas North Korea shown the way?
North Korea, a backward, barbaric relic of the dark ages, has scared the living shit out of Sony, Hollywood and, perhaps, The Men In Charge. They did it the 21st century way. They hacked into a treasure trove of information and they killed a major Hollywood production.
As much as I despise the fact that Hollywood/Sony has caved in on freedom of speech, theres an incredibly powerful lesson to be learned here. For years now, weve been decrying the power of the haves over the have nots, the power of the Koch brothers, the Walton (Walmart) family, and a handful of others, to buy and own everyone and everything. Not to mention the power of government to gather up everything we say and write, and to track our physical location at any instant.
Perhaps there are hackers out there who are capable of breaking into anything and everything that the powers that be dont want anyone breaking into. Perhaps such hackers might decide that wealth and power cant keep screwing the people and creatures of the earth with impunity. Perhaps theyve decided they cant keep polluting the water we drink and the air we breathe. Perhaps such hackers have decided that there really is a way to fight back against a stacked deck and a system drowning in corruption.
Military might has always been the path to power throughout recorded history. However,
Im willing to bet that, at this very moment, governments, and the handful of people who buy and own governments, are in deep discussions with McAfee, Norton, and every other organization or entity that has even an iota of an idea as to how to protect themselves in today's cyberspace universe. After all, they are all as vulnerable as Sony/Hollywood. It seems that the Masters of the Universe have an Achilles Heel.
Welcome to the 21st Century.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)There are those that do not accept that North Korea actually hacked Sony.
Cyrano
(15,041 posts)Whether it was North Korea, or someone they bought to do it for them, the point is that our owners are vulnerable. And it ain't all that hard to stop the rot and corruption they bring.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)I have a different read on the situation and it does not really include NK as anymore than stage dressing for Sony.
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)With threats of good ol' fashioned violence.
Cyrano
(15,041 posts)Krytan11c
(271 posts)But it was the threat of violence against the theaters who would have shown it that caused the theaters and chains to back out of showing the film.
Once enough theater chains backed out, probably due to liability issues if something did happen, Said my had no choice but to cancel.
This might lead to the film being released online only at pay to enter site. If that happens it has the potential to change how movies are released.