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Posted by MeatSim

Maybe he will stay out of trouble now that he has a job.

Posted by Radar
@xsheps said:
As if facebook didn't have enough security issues already. 
that's....why he was hired....
Posted by Marokai
@xXwindoverXx: You are part of the problem.
Posted by MonkeyKing1969

Let's be real he is now a B- list celebrety, he will get dozens of letters every day...most of them threats...and in the due course of time somone will shoot at him. I give him a 50/50 chance of NOT getting shot withing the first three years. Inside of ten years he will be dead no matter what.

Posted by xXwindoverXx
@Democritus said:
Sorry for saying that but the one that wrote this is an assh%$# . First this guy (that can be a jerk, I don't know him in person) has not done anything illegal. Once you purchase something, is your property and you are free to study or modify your property as you like while you don't get profit from it. This guy was persecuted by sony without doing anything wrong in the first place.  Now he is hired by facebook. So what? you are critic with that too?.  Not the writer nor the fuc$% holligans that applaud him have a 10% of the talent that this guy have shown, and that is why he is hired by facebook and will earn 100 times more money that all of them.    Now go and spit hate on someone else, like in sony for having the personal data of ppl not encrypted and give thanks to the gods that the breach of security has been performed by the anonymous geeks and not by the mafia.
U mad bro?
Posted by Democritus

Sorry for saying that but the one that wrote this is an assh%$# . First this guy (that can be a jerk, I don't know him in person) has not done anything illegal. Once you purchase something, is your property and you are free to study or modify your property as you like while you don't get profit from it. This guy was persecuted by sony without doing anything wrong in the first place.
 
Now he is hired by facebook. So what? you are critic with that too?.  Not the writer nor the fuc$% holligans that applaud him have a 10% of the talent that this guy have shown, and that is why he is hired by facebook and will earn 100 times more money that all of them.  
 
Now go and spit hate on someone else, like in sony for having the personal data of ppl not encrypted and give thanks to the gods that the breach of security has been performed by the anonymous geeks and not by the mafia.

Posted by CrimsonNoir
@MrAristocrates said:
@chaosnovaxz: The point isn't his intentions, it's that the software wasn't his to mess around with. He didn't have the right to crack it.
actually the Library of Congress recognized jailbreaking as an exemption to the DMCA, so sony would have had a hell of a time proving he did anything illegal.
Posted by Marokai
@CL60 said:
@Atramentous said:
The dude was a fugitive at one point. He fled the country. Only job he should have is making licence plates. 
He was never a fugitive, what are you talking about? He's never done anything illegal.
But he's such a loser! Just look at his hair! Isn't it ugly?
Posted by DG991

@CL60 said:

@Atramentous said:
The dude was a fugitive at one point. He fled the country. Only job he should have is making licence plates.
He was never a fugitive, what are you talking about? He's never done anything illegal.

Exactly. Well... at least until Sony pays enough money so that it is illegal.

It is really incomprehensible to me why people hate this guy so much...

Posted by CL60
@Atramentous said:
The dude was a fugitive at one point. He fled the country. Only job he should have is making licence plates. 
He was never a fugitive, what are you talking about? He's never done anything illegal.
Posted by John1912
"It's actually a perfect fit, given Facebook head honcho Mark Zuckerberg's own history as an authority-mocking coder back in his college days. One could easily see the two of them becoming fast friends, going on coding dates together and curling each other's hair. " 
 
Lulz.....Nice  Alex
Posted by Xsheps

As if facebook didn't have enough security issues already. 

Edited by DG991

@Atramentous: Hotz developed the software unlock for the iPhone's new Bootloader Version 4.6 that was previously only achievable with a "testpoint based hardware unlock". On July 3, 2009, Hotz announced purplera1n, the first public software exploit for jailbreaking the iPhone 3GS. Since then he has continued making it possible to use the iPhone in the ways power users want to.

Also his stance on the PSN hacking

At the end of April 2011, hackers broke into the PlayStation Network and stole personal information of some 77 million users. Hotz denied any responsibility for the attack, and said "Running homebrew and exploring security on your devices is cool; hacking into someone else's server and stealing databases of user info is not cool"

That seems pretty consistent with what he has done. He is a hardware hacker and it benefits the user.

In contrast, Sony has been pretty tyrannical

After the hack of Sony, Sony took George Hotz to court. George Hotz made a video on Youtube singing a song about the "disaster" of Sony. The Sony PS3 console was hacked, or more appropriately "jailbroken", by iPhone hacker Geohot. He managed to reverse engineer his own PlayStation 3 to run homebrew applications on it. He then later released the method to the public through his site, geohot.com. Sony responded with a lawsuit and demanded social media sites, including YouTube, to hand over IP addresses of people who visited Geohot's social pages and videos; the latter being the case only for those who "watched the video and 'documents reproducing all records or usernames and IP addresses that have posted or published comments in response to the video'".
PayPal has granted Sony access to Geohot's PayPal account, and the judge of the case granted Sony permission to view the IP addresses of everyone who visited geohot.com.

You know what?

Just forget about it, if you want to hate on him go ahead...

Posted by fox01313

Expect GeoHot to probably wind up hacking wherever he's at, really doubt that hackers can just easily stop hacking for whatever reasons once they get going.

Edited by NellyK

The only code left for him to work on is his moral code. Therein lies the ultimate challenge. Furthermore, that is a very punchable face, huh?

Posted by Atramentous
@DG991 said:

@AriesDog said:

@DG991 said:

@AriesDog: When has he ever done anything to hurt people? He has only helped users.

Who has he helped? Was there some great outcry from the public needing to crack the firmware? Sony was forced to remove the Other OS option when hackers exploited it to play pirated games. There's no reason to crack the system firmware except to pirate games or mod the system so users can cheat in online games. To quote moms everywhere, "This is why we can't have nice things."

GeoHot wasn't a white hat hacker quitely letting Sony know there was a flaw in their security. He did what he did for hacker glory. Which is what concerns me about the news that he's behind the scenes at a site that houses so much personal and business info.

They were not forced to remove Other OS. Microsoft doesn't remove the ability to use virtual disc programs just because it is commonly used to mount an iso.

There are reasons to crack the system. 1. Other OS. 2. A proper HTPC 3. more options 4. emulation.

And before you bring it up... yea i personally don't care if the big benevolent corporation Sony suffers. I only care about the users.

And when I said he helped people I was NOT referring to sony (even though he did). I was talking about all his good work on the iPhone and the resulting court case that sets a precedent for consumers.

He is a hardware hacker, he does it for the challenge. He has never hurt a user like I said. And he didn't do anything illegal against Sony... Well, not illegal yet. Not until Sony pays enough money so it is illegal.

What I am getting at is people who defend big companies are idiots since all they care about is making money for themselves even if it isn't best for the consumer.

What a crock of shit. 
Posted by DG991

@AriesDog said:

@DG991 said:

@AriesDog: When has he ever done anything to hurt people? He has only helped users.

Who has he helped? Was there some great outcry from the public needing to crack the firmware? Sony was forced to remove the Other OS option when hackers exploited it to play pirated games. There's no reason to crack the system firmware except to pirate games or mod the system so users can cheat in online games. To quote moms everywhere, "This is why we can't have nice things."

GeoHot wasn't a white hat hacker quitely letting Sony know there was a flaw in their security. He did what he did for hacker glory. Which is what concerns me about the news that he's behind the scenes at a site that houses so much personal and business info.

They were not forced to remove Other OS. Microsoft doesn't remove the ability to use virtual disc programs just because it is commonly used to mount an iso.

There are reasons to crack the system. 1. Other OS. 2. A proper HTPC 3. more options 4. emulation.

And before you bring it up... yea i personally don't care if the big benevolent corporation Sony suffers. I only care about the users.

And when I said he helped people I was NOT referring to sony (even though he did). I was talking about all his good work on the iPhone and the resulting court case that sets a precedent for consumers.

He is a hardware hacker, he does it for the challenge. He has never hurt a user like I said. And he didn't do anything illegal against Sony... Well, not illegal yet. Not until Sony pays enough money so it is illegal.

What I am getting at is people who defend big companies are idiots since all they care about is making money for themselves even if it isn't best for the consumer.

Posted by Atramentous

The dude was a fugitive at one point. He fled the country. Only job he should have is making licence plates. 

Posted by Michaelblack18

when i first saw this guys picture i thought "who the hell is this Daniel masterson look alike and what the hell is he doing?" but maybe it's a good choice and a good job for the guy but a job is a job good luck to him but then he also kinda looks like patrick too

Posted by Colonel_Fury

Can we caption every image of this guy with "douche"? Thanks.

Posted by MrAristocrates
@chaosnovaxz: Yeah, I think it's just scale, coupled with the fact that lending could never be as harmful due to the fact that two people can't have the same copy at the same time.
Edited by kingando420
@Doomshine: Excuse me if that was crass, perhaps I should have said rapant fanboyism instead of Sony ball licking. Besides I think we both know there is a difference between expressing the desire to physicaly harm somebody because of their appearance and the use of a commonly used sexual metaphor.
Posted by YukoAsho
@Eijikun said:
I'm no lawyer, but I don't think getting a job will keep you from going to jail. But if I'm wrong....Casey Anthony, Hooters is hiring! If a job she can get, you must acquit!
I think the implication is that he won't make another stupid move for hacker glory because he has better things to do with his time than be a fucking asshole and ruin everyone's fun.
Posted by chaosnovaxz
@MrAristocrates: 
 
That makes sense, but the pirated copies are rarely, if ever, being sold, to take money from the industry to an undeserving bootlegger. In essence, piracy is just one dude buying the game and continually lending to large groups of friends, which is why I wondered if scale was a factor in the moral classification. If piracy were to miraculously completely end, wouldn't game lending still leave the same problem of people playing for free when they could be buying?
 
I'm sure I sound like some pirate apologist, and maybe I am, but I definitely see the problems it forces onto the industry.
 
Does giving a game away AND having a way to keep it for yourself (if you've bought it) really cross a moral line that simply giving away a game doesn't cross? That seems like a stretch.
Posted by Baconator

Aww, anticlimactic indeed. I was hoping for a one last big hack before riding into the sunset and never to be heard of again ... until ... twenty years later, when he announces Skynet ... launching in North Korea.

Posted by MrAristocrates
@chaosnovaxz: I think it's because with piracy, as opposed to lending, the same number of copies of the game have been bought, but the number of people with access to the game increases. In short, the number of illegal copies will keep rising, while the number of legal purchases will stay the same.
Posted by chaosnovaxz
@MrAristocrates: 
 
Which I understand also, or at least try to. It's hard to empathize when you're on the consumer side.
 
 I almost even have a lack of empathy when it comes to piracy issues. I get that widespread copying kills a good bit of business, but lending the game to a friend also renders them able to play a game for free without compensating the developers and publishers, yet no one seems to think that borrowing a game crosses the same moral line as piracy, for whatever reason, though the end results are near identical. Perhaps the scale and digital nature account for the difference?
Posted by MrAristocrates
@chaosnovaxz: I understand. If Geohot had done this to his own console, we wouldn't have heard about it. The reason for the lawsuit was because he intended to distribute it, which gets companies really angry.
Posted by chaosnovaxz
@MrAristocrates: 
 
I'm not arguing with you on that, even though I don't agree with the way the law works on that. But, law is law. We only own the hardware, not the software, I get that, as strange of a concept as it is.
 
I was simply calling out ignorance. Just because negative things can be done with certain developments and instances, doesn't mean they always will be. Labeling anyone and everyone who tries to modify their PS3's software a pirate is stupid and inaccurate.
Posted by MrAristocrates
@chaosnovaxz: The point isn't his intentions, it's that the software wasn't his to mess around with. He didn't have the right to crack it.
Posted by chaosnovaxz
@AriesDog said:
@DG991 said:


                   

@AriesDog: When has he ever done anything to hurt people? He has only helped users.



                   

               


Who has he helped? Was there some great outcry from the public needing to crack the firmware? Sony was forced to remove the Other OS option when hackers exploited it to play pirated games. There's no reason to crack the system firmware except to pirate games or mod the system so users can cheat in online games. To quote moms everywhere, "This is why we can't have nice things." 

GeoHot wasn't a white hat hacker quitely letting Sony know there was a flaw in their security. He did what he did for hacker glory. Which is what concerns me about the news that he's behind the scenes at a site that houses so much personal and business info.

OR, just to play with the tech. I personally have no interest in that, but some people do.
 
What you're saying is as retarded and ignorant as saying (like the tired old argument) that everyone who buys a gun is going to murder someone. Ever thought they might be gun enthusiasts that just want to fire some weapons in their back yard?
 
It's completely ridiculous how everyone jumps straight to the negatives of every situation.
 
Say you see someone buying a set of silverware, and swearing up and down they're going to use it to eat with, are you going to call bullshit and accuse them planning on murdering someone with the knife? Really?
Posted by Marokai
@SithLibrarian said:

Great. Does this mean we can stop talking about him now?

No, Alex's next article will be dedicated to rumors of when Hotz gets a girlfriend. And when he stops working for Facebook he'll write another article calling him an ugly loser but somehow manage to pad it out to four paragraphs. And then the comments can be full of totally misinformed idiots lumping in Hotz with the PSN security breach for some fucking reason, and we can all continue picking on him for some totally inexplicable reason, led by a supposed "news" writer.
Edited by Marokai

What a completely unnecessary article that almost serves as the perfect subtle satire of Alex's style of writing articles at this point. At least other times he can occasionally channel his bitterness into actual news stories. Has Alex broken out a "I bet this guy is living in his parent's basement, amirite?" in any articles, yet? Hopefully as time goes on he can continue perfecting his dude-on-the-internet-being-so-much-cooler-than-you persona with more time.

Posted by Eijikun

I'm no lawyer, but I don't think getting a job will keep you from going to jail. But if I'm wrong....Casey Anthony, Hooters is hiring! If a job she can get, you must acquit!

Posted by jamesisaacs

Yep now facebooks backdoors will be wide open for more ugly nerds to exploit.

Posted by Khann

God some people in these comments can talk some bullshit.

Posted by AriesDog
@DG991 said:


                   

@AriesDog: When has he ever done anything to hurt people? He has only helped users.



                   

               


Who has he helped? Was there some great outcry from the public needing to crack the firmware? Sony was forced to remove the Other OS option when hackers exploited it to play pirated games. There's no reason to crack the system firmware except to pirate games or mod the system so users can cheat in online games. To quote moms everywhere, "This is why we can't have nice things." 

GeoHot wasn't a white hat hacker quitely letting Sony know there was a flaw in their security. He did what he did for hacker glory. Which is what concerns me about the news that he's behind the scenes at a site that houses so much personal and business info.

Posted by Nate_is_my_fake_name

No one's personal information on Facebook is safe!
 
Oh wait...

Posted by rmanthorp

@Kintaro said:

The end totally gave away that Alex wrote this.

Haha yeah, you can here him say "And, like, not go to jail." so much!

Posted by Doomshine
@kingando420 said:
People on this site need to grow up.
@kingando420 said:
The only reason that people hate this guy so much is because he interferred momentarily with their Sony ball licking.
Oh you!
Posted by chucknorris101

hes fugly

Edited by Spike94
@Saga said:


               

@Thusian: That's incorrect. The one that encouraged hack attacks was Sony by implementing a mediocre network security system. Lets remember that they had to go outside Sony to find out what was going on.


           

That's like saying a woman who wears skimpy clothing is "just asking to get raped". Although all he did was jailbreak it, he -did- still open the door for the crap to come in, the way I see it. 
 
EDIT: I think I see what you were saying now. They didn't encourage it, but they definitely should have had better security (obviously). When will corporations learn: Going "Ahh that probably won't happen," almost ensures it will...
Posted by Kintaro

The end totally gave away that Alex wrote this.

Posted by Xpgamer7

And so begins the destruction of facebook.

Posted by Krystal_Sackful

I hate his stupid face. I hate his stupid voice. I hope the rest of his life will be miserable.

Posted by YukoAsho
@MrAristocrates said:
@sreya92: No. That's not how it works. Yes, he owned the hardware. He did not, however, own the software. When you buy a copy of software, you don't own that, it is licensed to you, and one of the terms of that license is that you're not going to fuck around with it. Other OS was poor and slow, was added in an update (and was thus not a launch feature), was never advertised by the company (and thus could not really be called a "selling point"), and the reason it was banned was because it created a security flaw.  
 
Also, "This pissed off a lot of people because the Linux OS was a big deciding factor for them in buying a PS3 and Sony essentially said, "Just kidding you can't have that feature anymore" and removed it."
 
Bull-fucking-shit. I assure you, very, very few people who weren't cops bought a PS3 just to run Linux, and again, Sony had a legitimate reason. 
 
Anyway, Hotz didn't have any right to go cracking the software, especially not with the intention of distribution, and it doesn't matter if his intentions were to let people play homebrews or open fucking donut shops, he did something that allowed piracy, and thus got sued.  You don't seem to know what you're talking about. Like, at all. Plus, don't call Hotz "the little guy" when he constantly acts like a smug douche.
I was actually going to bring up the whole code-as-IP thing.  Thanks for saving me that argument. 
 
However, the saga with Hotz has taught me one thing.  Some people will rationalize anything done to businesses, regardless of how flimsy the justification.  I don't see why, if Hotz was SO enamored with the idea of Linux on a PS3, he couldn't do something along the lines of Xbox Linux.  Unless of course he wanted to help the "free games on PS3" movement.
Posted by Three0neFive
@kingando420 said:
Yeah alex your so hilarious, hahahah curly hair hahahahah coding dates, wow. That and the extremely high proportion of people wanting to punch this guy (or worse) because of his face?!   People on this site need to grow up.
Seriously. I love how people here constantly shit on other sites because of their communities (GAF, IGN, etc.), yet talk about killing and raping some dude because they think he hacked a bunch of websites - which is blatantly fucking false, by the way.
Edited by kingando420

Yeah alex your so hilarious, hahahah curly hair hahahahah coding dates, wow. That and the extremely high proportion of people wanting to punch this guy (or worse) because of his face?! 
 
People on this site need to grow up.

Posted by Vigorousjammer

Oh Alex, you always write the Snarkiest of articles, I love it.

Posted by peteisfat

Alex Navarro, snarky snark snark.

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