Sony Obtains IP Addresses of Geohot Site Vistors

Published on 03-05-2011 12:09 AM

48 Comments

Wired is reporting a serious development in George Hotz's (geohot's) legal battle. Sony has been granted a subpoena on Hotz's web provider, Bluehost. The company hosts Geohot.com, Hotz's personal webpage and the major hub for all of his PS3 hacking developments. The subpoena will allow Sony access to the IP addresses of anyone who has visited Geohot.com. It will be interested to see how Sony handles this new evidence and if it will spawn any other lawsuits.

Attachment 948

Download: Court Docs (.pdf)

A federal magistrate is granting Sony the right to acquire the internet IP addresses of anybody who has visited PlayStation 3 hacker George Hotz’s website from January of 2009 to the present.

Thursday’s decision by Magistrate Joseph Spero to allow Sony to subpoena Hotz’s web provider (.pdf) raises a host of web-privacy concerns. Bluehost, which maintains Hotz’s geohot.com site, received a subpoena as part of Sony’s lawsuit against the 21-year-old New Jersey hacker.

Sony also won subpoenas (.pdf) for data from YouTube and Google, as well as Twitter account data linked to Hotz, who goes by the handle GeoHot.

Source: Wired

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48 Comments

perspex - 03-05-2011, 12:26 AM
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how come the old method of posting the already posted comments on the members news thread not followed anymore?

grandy - 03-05-2011, 12:40 AM
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I tried to, but somehow they got deleted when I merged the threads. Unfortunately they're permanently lost on this article.

One2thr456svn - 03-05-2011, 01:03 AM
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This can't be legal, and if it is what rev lance dose it have to do with anything, ok people went to his site, now what, I go to google, as a matter of fact I am going to his site now. come sue me sony

gsharpshooter80 - 03-05-2011, 01:12 AM
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DOES THE ******G PIECE OF **** FEDERAL MAGISPUSS UNDERSTAND THEY ARE SIGNING ILLEGAL RIGHTS TO SONY ?!?!? WHY NOT JUST GIVE SONY THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND THE CONSTITUTION AND EVERY OTHER DOCUMENT THAT STANDS FOR U.S CITIZENS RIGHTS SO SONY CAN BURN THEM..

Ma1d3nPr1m3 - 03-05-2011, 01:17 AM
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Yea Sony, what will you do? Subpoena people for visiting websites? ***** please! Their trying to find information regarding other devs. Sony, Your system is compromised and no longer a virgin....hacked.....used and abused...stop crying about being raped and deal with it like Nintendo and Microsoft have done.

Thorn - 03-05-2011, 01:48 AM
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there is somthing called internet privacy AND the freedom of information and speach do they now want to violate our rights?

alipapa - 03-05-2011, 02:06 AM
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Why is $ony asking for all the information when only a tiny fraction of the information is relevant to their suit. Look at this they are asking for info since Jan 2009. This is definitely an overkill? Geohot CFW and stuff only surface in late Dec 2010 or Jan 2011. How can the judge issue this kind of order. What is their justification. Did they hookwink the judge to issue such an order??!

They'll probably get tons of IP address belonging to Iphone jailbreaker. But how is it relevant to $ony's case. Are they abusing their authority?!!

Senilehitman - 03-05-2011, 02:17 AM
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Sony must definitely realize that not all IP addresses are set in stone. I bet they'll use the IP address to get the area to cross-reference with PSN, to ban us all! I really don't care too much anyway. I just won't be able to game share anymore, but I do love me some homebrew!

One2thr456svn - 03-05-2011, 02:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Senilehitman

. I just won't be able to game share anymore, but I do love me some homebrew!

I am not sure how that line is correct, as long as there is internet and services like:
Megaupload
Fileserve
Filesonic
Hotfile
Torrents
Newsgroups
hell Aol, dial Up, Broadband, gamefly, gamestop, EB games and the guy next door there will ALWAYS be a way to game share (how do you think I fill a 2TB drive....the Internet baby, now get out there and share some sh!t) $ony can have all the IP adress they like, If a judge is corrupt enough to hand it to them I will continue to use my right to free access and Up & download whatever I like. I got my Charlie Sheen mind on right now "I'm Winning"

KatyPerry - 03-05-2011, 02:47 AM
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How are they going to benefit from this anyways ?

Megaupload Mirror:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=24ZL63LC

thebudman420-PSG - 03-05-2011, 04:13 AM
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there's no benefit to even get them ips, think of all the people who just go visit the site for the hell of it who don't have ps3's not only that there is nothing they can do even if they visited the site as visiting geohots site isn't illegal. But thanks for reminding me to run proxy if i travel there I guess Sony doesn't want people donating to geohot or people who go there to look up the case docs etc and to read the blog lol

z00m - 03-05-2011, 04:45 AM
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Originally Posted by thebudman420

there's no benefit to even get them ips, think of all the people who just go visit the site for the hell of it who don't have ps3's not only that there is nothing they can do even if they visited the site as visiting geohots site isn't illegal. But thanks for reminding me to run proxy if i travel there I guess Sony doesn't want people donating to geohot or people who go there to look up the case docs etc and to read the blog lol

This is just sony's way of trying to scare people away from GeoHots site, meaning it will also scare people away from donating money to him to help is court battle. Donations which was all done from his GeoHots site, sony know that GeoHot has many people that agree with what he does and the rights he believes we should all have with our products we own (consoles).

Anyway like I said they are just trying to scare people away from donating to him from his site, **** them, what can they do. Don't let it stop you guys and girls from donating, because there is nothing sony can do if you did visit his site.

Boo, Sony you're a joke..

gamer2020 - 03-05-2011, 04:52 AM
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here comes another scare tatic letter watch! they will send an e mail saying they found illegal content on you ps3. another wild guess from sony!

Turkish-PSG - 03-05-2011, 05:11 AM
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Sony is doing the right job, fighting the good fight. We have no reason to be on geohots site. I get all my news regarding the PS3 scene from psgroove.com.

Oh btw, some people will come and try to defend geohot here, little kids that found a little role model in geohot because of his glitter and glamour interviews, acting tough on the internet= instant little fangirls hating on teh evil Zony!!!11

z00m - 03-05-2011, 06:29 AM
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Originally Posted by Turkish

Sony is doing the right job, fighting the good fight. We have no reason to be on geohots site. I get all my news regarding the PS3 scene from psgroove.com.

Oh btw, some people will come and try to defend geohot here, little kids that found a little role model in geohot because of his glitter and glamour interviews, acting tough on the internet= instant little fangirls hating on teh evil Zony!!!11

.

I dont think this is anything to do with fanboys / girls, this is a matter of principal. When you buy something, you should be able to do what ever you like with it. If you bought a car but then was told you couldn't put a sports kit on it, or even take it to a 3rd party garage to get it fixed else you would get a court letter for doing so, would that be ok ? You can do whatever you like with products you have payed for, if you wanted to drive a car off a cliff you can, but it will cost you in then end, its all about freedom.

This is nothing to do with fanboys, its about our rights. Do you want to be a guinea pig for the rest of your life? lol

anyway rant over...

Blue-PSG - 03-05-2011, 06:41 AM
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So, uhhh, who broke the law visiting his site or watching his video? The links were everywhere, I didn't even hear about this from a scene-based news site. What gives them the right to this personally identifiable information? The more they push, the less I want to be involved in their next travesty of a console.

PHPMyPS3 - 03-05-2011, 07:01 AM
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lol geoHot will need a lot of money to pay his lawyer. SONY WANTS TO KILL HIM

Arnaud Cohen Scali - 03-05-2011, 07:08 AM
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rumour has is that geohot will release a remix of "Locked Up" from Akon hahahaha
he's gonna go to jail soon

TWITDADDY - 03-05-2011, 08:23 AM
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Originally Posted by z00m

.

I dont think this is anything to do with fanboys / girls, this is a matter of principal. When you buy something, you should be able to do what ever you like with it. If you bought a car but then was told you couldn't put a sports kit on it, or even take it to a 3rd party garage to get it fixed else you would get a court letter for doing so, would that be ok ? You can do whatever you like with products you have payed for, if you wanted to drive a car off a cliff you can, but it will cost you in then end, its all about freedom.

This is nothing to do with fanboys, its about our rights. Do you want to be a guinea pig for the rest of your life? lol

anyway rant over...

Although to the naked eye it seems like you have the RIGHT to do what you wish with products you buy, paying for them does not give you the right to break the law. I dont understand why so many of you try to justify piracy by saying you bought your console. Well, buy the games too.