Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed suit against Sony BMG over the rootkit discovered recently on many of the company’s audio CDs. From the Attorney General’s press release:

“Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers,” said Attorney General Abbott. “Consumers who purchased a Sony CD thought they were buying music. Instead, they received spyware that can damage a computer, subject it to viruses and expose the consumer to possible identity crime.”

In the Texas suit, Sony faces fines of $100,000 per violation of the state’s new Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act. No word yet as to what final number this will translate to, but if just 10,000 Texans were to file complaints under the suit, Sony BMG would face damages in excess of $1 billion. Keep an eye out for submarines full of weaponized QRIOs surfacing off the Gulf Coast…

Betanews via Digg

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