More legal pressure is coming to bare on Sony-BMG Entertainment in connection with its controversial use of spyware on its music CDs. A lawsuit was filed yesterday by legal firm Finkelstein, Thompson & Loughran for a resident of the District of Columbia. The lawsuit is on behalf of the general public of the capital.
According to the plaintiff, hackers or Sony itself can use this rootkit technology to take control of users' computers without their knowledge or consent. While Sony has consistently stated that the software will not be used to collect personal information, the software is also used to transmit data about users to Sony through the internet, thereby allowing Sony to track users' listening habits, Finkelstein, Thompson & Loughran alleged.