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Sony Sued for PlayStation Network Data Breach
Between April 17 and 19, 2011, an unauthorized person illegally gained access to the personal information of more than 75 million users of Sony’s PlayStation Network. The personal information exposed includes customer names, addresses, email addresses, birthdays, PlayStation Network passwords, user names and online user handles. As a result of the breach, Sony temporarily turned off the PlayStation Network in order to rebuild its system and security.
Shortly after customers were notified of this breach, the first lawsuits against Sony were filed. Kristopher Johns of Birmingham, Alabama, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claiming that Sony did not take “reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users.” Johns also believed that Sony waited too long before notifying him and other customers of the breach. As a result, Sony did not allow its customers “to make an informed decision as to whether to change credit card numbers, close the exposed accounts, check their credit reports, or take other mitigating actions.”
The lawsuit is asking for monetary compensation and free credit card monitoring, and is seeking class action status.
In Canada, a proposed class action suit in excess of $1 billion has also been launched against Sony for breach of privacy and negligence. The claim, like that launched by Johns in the United States, alleged that Sony delayed in notifying users of the PlayStation Network of the potential theft of their personal information and/or financial data. In addition, the claim alleges that Sony has exposed those users to “fear, anxiety (and) emotional distress.”
Sony has since announced that an additional 24.6 million users’ accounts had been compromised at a division that makes multiplayer online games.
For additional information, visit:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20057921-260.html#ixzz1LCmLjOca
http://tinyurl.com/Canadian-ClassAction-Sony