What Sony hacks expose: Opinionline

Timothy B. Lee, Vox : "Last month, hackers infiltrated the computer network of Sony Pictures Entertainment. ... It's hard to know whether this means that Sony has particularly lax security practices — or if it just happens to be the favorite target of hackers. Hardening a corporate network as large as Sony's is really difficult, and even a company that takes every precaution may still be vulnerable. ... Companies like Sony tend to under-invest in locking down their networks."

Nick Gillespie, Time : "Just a few months ago everybody and his grandmother was truly livid ... when hackers released naked pictures of celebrities. ... This time around, there is unapologetic prurience at the chance to get a real behind-the-scenes look at (Hollywood). Nobody cares about other people's privacy, especially if the divulged material is juicy enough. Second, privacy is itself a highly fluid concept ... invented more than it is discovered."

Bruce W. Bennett, The RAND Blog : "There is strong suspicion that North Korean state-sponsored hackers were behind the cyber attack. ... North Korea has made serious efforts to stop the release of Sony Pictures' movie The Interview, which depicts the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un (and includes) a plot to kill (him). North Korea is likely testing the U.S. and its cyber community to see where vulnerabilities may exist. So this is not just an issue of how Sony Pictures responds — this is an issue of how the U.S. responds."

Juan Williams, Fox News : "Hacked e-mails from Hollywood's white, liberal elite show them belittling (President Obama). 'Should I ask him if he likes Django (Unchained)?' asked Amy Pascal, a Sony Pictures' co-chair. Scott Rudin, a movie producer, responds: "Or The Butler." ... While the (e-mails) are a dazzling display of white liberal hypocrisy, it should not distract anyone from the need for the nation to condemn this intrusion as criminal, unacceptable behavior."

John Nolte, Breitbart News : "Pascal was one of the first Hollywood executives to exile Mel Gibson after news of his drunken anti-Semitic rant became public in 2006. ... One of Hollywood's most bankable stars, who also happened to be an Oscar-winning director, was ruined. ... Hollywood set a standard. If that standard is broken for Pascal and Rudin, the message it sends to ... black America is unmistakable."

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