First of all Sony got punked only because low information morons, especially the top level management who make decisions, never took cyber attacks seriously. It’s not cheap, but it’s easy to create a network in a business with the same protocols as the Internet, using emission-proof network cables, but isn’t physically connected to the World Wide Web at all. That’s where all the vital exchanges should have taken place. This is probably their 9/11 moment though, and they’ll start hiring people who know how to lock secrets down. Fuck contracting other companies to store your critical files to some unknown datacenter that’s connected to the Net, “the cloud” (in my helium voice) needs to stop being looked at as a good idea.
Second, there’s always been the threat of defectors, spies, traitors, whistleblowers that can cause extreme damage to an organization or government or lead to loss of innocent life. The intelligence business isn’t new and they got a ton of business during the Cold War to prevent stuff like Munich and the Cuban Missile Crisis from having a sequel, and to influence proxy wars to take down real enemies. So whatever to acting like the threat of grave danger in response to butthurt feelings is some new shit because of hacking and Internet access. The stakes were higher because USA and Soviets were two symmetrical powers who could duke it out on land sea and air or nuke the fuck out of the whole planet.
Best move Sony could do right now is to release the movie for free online, exponentially increasing the movie’s exposure and giving zero targets to attack.
Here’s a movie from a few years back dramatizating a living then-sitting leader being assassinated, despite controversy and finger-wagging it was rightfully released https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5h55k3wzOY
However, if it were to land in the territory of attack retaliation then, it would’ve resulted in nuclear winter most likely. Now, NK can hide behind their computers and attack and the worst retaliation they’re going to receive is maybe the few internet-connected systems in their country are going to get shut down.
NK will get hit with some form of sanctions. And maybe a cyber attack that cripples their infrastructure, if other world powers have the capability. Cyber warfare (and rules of engagement) is in relative infancy, and still treated like scifi when it’s anything but fictional.
The North Korean government owns all forms of entertainment and constantly depict the U.S as a pile of ash while their perfect society is always victorious. You think anyone in the U.S gives a fuck about North Korean propaganda films? It’s just a movie, and we’re not hypersensitive and insecure fucks when it comes to that entertainment.
But at the rate of how Americans are becoming major pussies and whiny about free expression, and afraid to stand up for free expression, I don’t even know how long even that would last.
Have they specifically made movies about infiltrating our country and killing this specific political figure who really exists in that capacity, as is the case here? Or are thier films just, “well, we’re dealing with some shit that america’s ass was destroyed trying to handle, but we succeed because we’re better” propaganda as I’ve seen in some of thier scifi stuff from a couple years back?
Just seemed to me that in any other situation the kind of buzz this is generating would be a great thing to capitalize on, so there must be some serious financial consequences Sony is weighing here when they cancel a movie debut they presumably invested millions of dollars in. I don’t know why people would expect Sony to make some ethical stand when it might be against their own business interests. Do people really think Sony should consider just throwing this on the web for free to take a stand for free speech? Sony is a Japanese company anyway so even less reason for them to stand up for an American ethic.
Yeah, somebody makes this same movie but make it about offing our pres and watch the hypocritical backlash, even from people defending OUR film, citing freedom of speech. Prison time, terrorist accusations, all kinds of shit would be metted out. Freedom of speech justifies anything, no matter how tasteless…until said speech stops going your way. There should be SOME limit, for decency’s sake. Make a movie about killing Il, that’s fine. His time is done. He’s, for lack of a better term, public domain.
If the same were done here, the White House would be trying to get every intelligence division from other countries to track down and bring to justice whoever made “K.B.O”. Don’t even act like they wouldn’t. And we expect someone else to be cool about it? Some perspective seems to be needed here. This has deeper implications than “for teh lulz”. Why don’t we do this to…idunno, ISIS or the Taliban? Those asses deserve it more. Is nk a better choice because they can’t really do anything in retaliation? Is this really about free speech, or just being assholes for the sake of it? Not to piss in the punch bowl, but is everyone in the “pro” camp REALLY thinking this through?
Again, it was the theater chains’ decision to not support the movie in the US. Sony delayed the movie’s release because nobody was going to play the movie. They still plan to release it in different international markets, no word on whether it’ll play in the US.
Actually, some theater companies like AMC are foreign-owned, so point taken about multi national companies not caring to stand up to American ideals.
You’re talking out of your ass and you are dumb as hell if you think the U.S would have a state run outrage equal to North Korea
Because we do have free expression in this country, ***the State ***clamping down on your theoretical equivalent–which is a foreign satire depicting the death of a U.S president–would be absolutely unconstitutional. It would NEVER happen
As far as the whiny public complaining about it, sure very well could happen. Democrats would cry about Obama being killed as a racist movie (because of course) and GOP would cry it’s unpatriotic/unamerican. But State sponsored censorship and hacking of another country to remove a film, no fucking way. At present, we are definitely above that bullshit.
I’m a free speech absolutist. Who, Rhio2k, gets to decide for everyone else what is considered “decent” or appropriate speech? That is total NONSENSE and only people who are too immature to handle differing speech/expression wish to be shielded from things they may find offensive.
Silly point…regardless, North Korea is isolated and our knowledge of the specific content of their vast propaganda entertainment archives is limited–in other-words, it is possible they DO have a movie/animation or whatever showing the death of President Clinton, President George W Bush, President Obama, or any other western power the scummy tyrant Kim wishes to be destroyed.