Sony Pictures Entertainment has sent out a request for news outlets to cease the disclosure of material that has leaked from one of the bigger computer hacks of the year, as Sony’s very own studio chief intends to meet a civil-rights leader as well after it was revealed that there existed in Sony’s internal email network that a racially tinged e-mail exchange has occurred. Sony’s attorney David Boies wrote to news organizations, citing that media companies ought to destroy whatever stolen information that are in their hands, and will in turn be held responsible for damages from its publication.
Boies mentioned that Sony Pictures “does not consent to your possession, review, copying, dissemination, publication, uploading, downloading, or making any use of the stolen information, and to request your cooperation in destroying the stolen information.” Any kind of failure to comply would result in Sony not having any “choice but to hold you responsible for any damage or loss.”
This does prove to be a moral dilemma – after all, with all the ‘dirt’ that was dug up, people would certainly be curious to know more since their curiosity has been aroused. I suppose it leans more to that of a moral than ethical issue, although I am certainly not discounting the fact that owning leaked material without proper authorization is also legally wrong on certain levels.