Sony Pictures has threatened to sue Twitter unless it removes confidential information stolen by hackers who posted it on the micro-blogging platform. U.S. officials have blamed the hack on North Korea.
Confidential emails posted on Twitter
Hackers who call themselves “Guardians of Peace” took responsibility for the hack, saying they breached Sony’s computers. They destroyed a lot of Sony’s computer files, and someone has now published some of the company’s unflattering emails on Twitter. Those confidential emails focus on movie stars and revealed confidential information about how much Sony Pictures was paying them for their appearance in its films.
The published information also revealed release plans for The Interview, a movie which made fun of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
Sony to Twitter: remove confidential content
Dawn.com reports that a Sony Pictures Entertainment attorney notified Twitter’s attorney that some of the company’s confidential information had been posted to Twitter. Sony attorney David Boies did that via a letter to Twitter General Counsel Vijaya Gadde dated Dec. 22, in which he demanded that the content be removed from the micro-blogging platform. He also demanded that the account in question be suspended.
As of this writing, the confidential remains on the account operated by Twitter user @bikinirobotarmy . He posted images of the emails he said came from the hack of Sony’s computers. The Twitter account gives the name Val Broeksmit as the name of the person who owns it.
Twitter threatened with lawsuit
Boies further said in his letter that if Twitter doesn’t remove the confidential information, they “will have no choice but to hold Twitter responsible for any damage or loss arising from such use or dissemination by Twitter.” The attorney said that includes “any loss of value of intellectual property and trade secrets resulting from Twitter’s actions.” Or inaction, in this case anyway.
Although Twitter (as of this writing anyway) has not yet yielded to Sony’s demands, the film industry has risen in support of Sony Pictures. About 250 independent operators of movie theaters expressed their “solidarity” by signing a petition on Change.org.
Last week actor George Clooney blasted the film industry for not standing up to the cyber-attacks, which resulted in Sony’s cancellation of The Interview‘s Christmas Day release. The actor accused the industry of worrying so much about being targeted by the hackers that they refrained from showing support, fearing retaliation.
