Fake Sony PS3 VP Tricked Into Tweeting PS3 Security Key

from the eradication-plans-foiled dept

Wed, Feb 9th 2011 1:13pm — Mike Masnick

As Sony continues its quixotically backwards attempt to delete the PS3 jailbreak code from the world, it appears that they might want to start by informing their own ad firm not to tweet the code. As a whole bunch of you sent in, apparently a guy named Travis La Marr tweeted the PS3 security key at the Twitter account of "Kevin Butler," who describes himself as a VP at PlayStation. Of course, if you've seen any PS3 commercials, you would know that "Kevin Butler" is actually a made up person -- a character played by actor Jerry Lambert.

However, the Kevin Butler account, retweeted the code, trying to make a joke out of it -- clearly not realizing this is the code that Sony is trying to eradicate from all of the internet, as well as people's brains:

The tweet has since been taken down and I imagine the folks at ad firm Deutsch/LA are scrambling to do some relationship repairing with Sony... Still, this really does highlight the ridiculousness of Sony's campaign to pretend such things don't exist. The more they try to deny it, the more people learn about it.

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Filed Under: jailbreak, kevin butler, ps3, security key
Companies: deutsch/la, sony

33 Comments

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Ima Fish (profile), 9 Feb 2011 @ 1:35pm

Were the guys at the ad firm really that clueless or were they trying to make a joke about the situation? I'm leaning toward the latter.
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- Eugene (profile), 9 Feb 2011 @ 3:54pm
  
  Re:
  It's a retarded tightrope walk of doom. Think about it: the ad firm that created Kevin Butler, in effect created an edgy sort of loose-cannon character who identifies with the same kind of kids who are likely to jailbreak a PSP. The second the persona loses the ability to act like a loose cannon, its credibility is lost and the campaign becomes tired and ineffective. But if the character does anything Sony doesn't like, the whole campaign falls into jeopardy.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 1:45pm

Will they try to get the entire internets IP addresses now?!
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 1:53pm

Isn't the library of congress archiving all tweets? If so, I can't see how sony can shut them down.
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weneedhelp (profile), 9 Feb 2011 @ 1:54pm

Freakin priceless
Now that's funny right there.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 1:54pm

Sony through one of its own employees has just "Published" the PS3 master key, and even if they have now deleted it the record of their actions remains.
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Joe Homeland Security, 9 Feb 2011 @ 1:56pm

I don't know why Sony hasn't talked to us. We're more than happy to pull down Twitter if a large corporation is inconvenienced by the jackanapes that give the internet a bad name.
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CommonSense (profile), 9 Feb 2011 @ 1:59pm

"Still, this really does highlight the ridiculousness of Sony's campaign to pretend such things don't exist. The more they try to deny it, the more people learn about it. "

Wow, that last sentence could be applied to so many things and still hold just as much truth. Like prostitution and drug use, in case that's not clear to any Attorney's General that may see this comment.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:00pm

More than anything, this shows that children will be children, and when they don't get their way they will do whatever they can to get revenge.

Shameful, really.
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:07pm
  
  Re:
  Really, TAM, that's all you've got?
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- Qritiqal (profile), 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:10pm
  
  Re:
  I love you! No, really I do.
  Without you, AC, the internet would be so boring!
  
  Imagine, calling some anonymous coward childish for sending a hurtful message to strike out at a group/company he despises! The horror.
  
  Oh, wait, that applies to what you do every day, doesn't it?
  Awwwwwwww.
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:31pm
  
  Re:
  Yes, it's shameful that a child made an adult look silly. Can't have that!
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- James, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:41pm
  
  Re:
  Yes, so true. (In a world where the word "children" and "Sony" are synonymous)
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- abc gum, 9 Feb 2011 @ 5:15pm
  
  Re:
  "More than anything, this shows that children will be children, and when they don't get their way they will do whatever they can to get revenge.
  Shameful, really."
  
  Yes, I agree you that Sony is being very childish here. When Sony does not get their way, they do really immature and silly things to get revenge - Shame on you Sony!
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Kurata, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:27pm

How long till Techdirt gets a DMCA?
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:38pm
  
  Re:
  FIVE.... SECONDS.
  
  Sonys gonna have work cut out now that this goofup happened
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:44pm

I figure we all agree that sony is making a mistake here, but theyre making a big mistake by trying to suppress the number. It almost made sense for them in a perverse way to try to hassle the hackers and takedown websites and videos discussing the topic. But now sony has elected to try to suppress just the number, and the public can understand how that is foolish. When it was a complex topic about hacking and piracy, the public would be more sympathetic.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:46pm

It would be nice if the battleship named Sony did sink. lol.
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- Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 6:03pm
  
  Re:
  Yup, then you can enjoy not having a playstation at all.
  
  Amazing how short sighted people are.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2011 @ 12:33am
    
    Re: Re:
    Don't have a playstation, don't want one. Wait, what!?!?!?
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  - Marcel de Jong (profile), 10 Feb 2011 @ 3:44am
    
    Re: Re:
    I don't support companies that bully their customers. So the sooner Sony bites the dust, the better. And yes I know that means no Playstation, but that's no skin of my back.
    
    It also means no Sony music, no Sony films, no Sony cameras nor TVs, etc... Still, that doesn't bother me.
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    - James ROK, 10 Feb 2011 @ 6:10am
      
      Japan?
      I realized about a month or two ago, that a majority of my major appliances and electronics are Korean, and are functioning quite well too.
      
      Japanese electronics are so 80s.
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Blatant Coward (profile), 9 Feb 2011 @ 2:54pm

So does this mean Amazon will no longer sell Sony products cause they are teh Pirate?
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Nelson Muntz, 9 Feb 2011 @ 3:37pm

HA-HA!
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2011 @ 6:19pm

80% of the bloggs have that tweet saved, and any can check its not the the right key
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I-blz, 9 Feb 2011 @ 7:20pm

IMAGE GET! whacha gonna doo nowe, huh, Soonie!?!!1!!?!1?1!!
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Paula, 9 Feb 2011 @ 11:59pm

Great advert!
My iPhone & iPad apps
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2011 @ 1:58am

erk: C0 CE FE 84 C2 27 F7 5B D0 7A 7E B8 46 50 9F 93 B2 38 E7 70 DA CB 9F F4 A3 88 F8 12 48 2B E2 1B
riv: 47 EE 74 54 E4 77 4C C9 B8 96 0C 7B 59 F4 C1 4D
pub: C2 D4 AA F3 19 35 50 19 AF 99 D4 4E 2B 58 CA 29 25 2C 89 12 3D 11 D6 21 8F 40 B1 38 CA B2 9B 71 01 F3 AE B7 2A 97 50 19
R: 80 6E 07 8F A1 52 97 90 CE 1A AE 02 BA DD 6F AA A6 AF 74 17
n: E1 3A 7E BC 3A CC EB 1C B5 6C C8 60 FC AB DB 6A 04 8C 55 E1
K: BA 90 55 91 68 61 B9 77 ED CB ED 92 00 50 92 F6 6C 7A 3D 8D
Da: C5 B2 BF A1 A4 13 DD 16 F2 6D 31 C0 F2 ED 47 20 DC FB 06 70
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Fushta, 10 Feb 2011 @ 7:25am

Sony's Ad Agency Name
The once proud ad agency called Deutsch/LA will now forever more be referred to as LA/Douche.
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robphelan (profile), 10 Feb 2011 @ 10:33am

how exactly was he "tricked" into tweeting the code?
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Danny, 4 Mar 2011 @ 1:15pm

Wow that's crazy...It's kind of funny that they would use the actual guy from the ps3 and some people didnt even know.
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Danny, 4 Mar 2011 @ 1:16pm

Wow that's crazy...It's kind of funny that they would use the actual guy from the ps3 and some people didnt even know.
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ps3 troubleshooting, 12 Jul 2011 @ 8:55am

Hey Mike

Well it just goes to show that were humans are there are errors even when the bigs names come out to play. Great review. Thanks.
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