Chris Dodd Implies US Gov't Should Go After Wikileaks For Publishing Leaked Sony Emails

from the that-pesky-first-amendment dept

Wed, Apr 22nd 2015 10:39am — Mike Masnick

Variety has a report on the talk that MPAA boss Chris Dodd gave at CinemaCon, in which he appears to at least imply that the federal government should go after Wikileaks for publishing an archive of the leaked emails from Sony Pictures:

He did condemn WikiLeaks’ decision last week to publish a searchable list of the Sony materials, calling it “terribly wrong” and serving “no public purpose.” Dodd noted that many of the emails are from low-level employees who have a right to privacy.

Dodd said that the U.S. government was in the best position to try to go after the website not the trade organization he runs. In the case of the WikiLeaks situation, he praised Sony officials for being “highly responsive” in communicating with the proper authorities.

This is the same Chris Dodd who (before he worked for the MPAA) once gave a rousing speech at Google (of all places) in which he urged them to take a stronger stand against censorship and not giving in to government demands to block content.

Tell the Chinese government that Google.cn will no longer censor information with Google's consent. And should the Chinese government not find that acceptable, then Google.cn would shut down its operations. I understand that you've already moved all of your search records out of China, to prevent them from being turned over to the Chinese government. But what better way to affirm Google's commitment to the free flow of information as a human right, than to send this message to a nation with the largest population in the world?

But now, when a site is revealing some rather newsworthy leaked emails from Sony, Chris Dodd (MPAA version) wants the US government to throw the book at them and try to censor them. In that Google speech, Dodd said:

One way we respond to change, in my view, is to stand up, and to stand up for our principles, which do not change.

Apparently, your principles do change when the MPAA pays you over $3 million per year. I'm sure Dodd sleeps well at night with that money as a cushion, but I do wonder how he reconciles the fact that he sold out his principles.

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Filed Under: chris dodd, free speech, sony emails, sony hack
Companies: mpaa, sony, wikileaks

36 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:46am

With money. He reconciles his morals with lots and lots of money.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:46am

Why should the US Government go after a non-US based website for posting information from a non-US company?
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limbodog (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:53am

Re:
Because that's what we always do?
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Doug (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:54am

Selling out your principles
Selling out your principles is a lot like bullying. It only works if most people turn a blind eye. Selling out is tacitly accepted by almost everyone, so you can fault Dodd for doing it, but hardly blame him. I mean, think of the $$$. Sigh.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:57am

With that kind of money
He can afford to have his principles surgically removed. He can probably afford to have his sense of shame and his common decency removed along with them.
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kallethen, 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:58am

Makes me embarrassed he came from my state. :/
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gorehound (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:59am

I have abetter idea.people should go after Dodd and get all his info to scan thru and then make public all his dirty laundry.That should be much better than the asshat who rants about going after wikileaks.

His computer will have so many leaks in it it would be a maxi-leak.
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Bamboo Harvester (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:59am

There's a slip...
"Dodd noted that many of the emails are from low-level employees who have a right to privacy. "

So he's tacitly admitting that mid- and high-level employees have no right to privacy?

I thought he had a law degree - lawyers generally know better than to make statements like that.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:06am

More of Doss's version of free speech advocacy.
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Shmerl, 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:06am

Dodd is a hypocrite
While I sympathize with Sony employees whose privacy was breached (ones unrelated to any crooked agendas like censorship), it's highly hypocritical for Dodd to use privacy angle as an argument, since published documents reveal major efforts by MPAA to undermine Internet privacy itself on massive scale.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:11am

Re:
If anyone did obtain access to Dodd's computer and got hold of copies of his emails and documents etc. and made all of them public on a site like Wikileaks then Dodd will no doubt be straight on the phone to the FBI demanding that find and charge the person for a terrorist act and calling for the person to face the death penalty.
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Ed Allen, 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:12am

Re: Selling out your principles
Some can be had far more cheaply it seems...
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/04/cops-hire-pesky-programmer-who-bugged-seattle-for -more-transparency/

Deluding himself that he is being paid to release more is what makes me even sadder.
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Bamboo Harvester (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:32am

Re:
It gives our special regiment of New Zealand Death Gurkhas something to do.
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Guardian, 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:38am

RIGHT to PRIVACY
so much a right that someone had collected all this email...THANKS DUM DOD you prove the very point i bet many make .....security needs to happen for communications
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:40am

Dodd is a double standards ass hole! the trouble is, he expects all others in positions of power to be the same! even worse, the majority of them are!!
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Spaceman Spiff (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:52am

Webster's Dictionary
Definition: hypocrite
See: Chris Dodd
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Roger Strong (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 11:59am

In Defense of Animatronics
Apparently, your principles do change when the MPAA pays you over $3 million per year.

Look, Dodd is essentially a Teddy Ruxpin doll with Washington connections. Whoever stuffs money up his ass instead of batteries, also gets to swap out the voice and programming tape for the one they want.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 12:19pm

The government needs to investigate the MPAA for bribery of officials. The biggest problem for Sony is doing things that were not exactly legal, such as the rootkits and then it being exposed to the public. This means there is more dirt there they are afraid will come out.

An inside view of how the MPAA plans to kill off all competition and put into place major censorship blockaids. Were everything stickly above board, no one would care that Sony's emails were leaked. The MPAA wouldn't care either. So they come away butt hurt that their dastardly plans were exposed to the public. Something they know if the public knew it would not approve of. That's the main problem, not that the emails were exposed.

With the exposure also comes the chance someone will discover the illegal bribes and plans they have in mind. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch.
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Roger Strong (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 12:26pm

Re: Selling out your principles
Dodd's principles are just the same as they were before his Hollywood lobbying job. There's no sign that money has changed them. His opinions on censorship are fair, balanced and consistent.

This according to a fact check by Hollywood's finest accountants!
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 12:36pm

Alot of the sony emails reveal actions that are anti consumer ,pro big corporation,
eg reduce fair use, support tpp agreement,
support politicians that would reduce consumer rights
in terms to acess to certain services or websites ,or extend copyright terms make infringement a more serious offence .
The mppa has opposed every almost new technology eg vcrs,
online video services etc
ITS not there to protect consumer rights or openness on the web .
Alot of the sony emails are newsworthy as they
refer to issues that effect the economy the rights of the consumer
and trade agreements and fair use .
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Designerfx (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 12:38pm

Re:
the term is loadsamoney. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON-7v4qnHP8
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 12:41pm

Re: Webster's Dictionary
Definition: Chris Dodd
See: hypocrite

MPAA: The fools will never suspect a thing!
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 2:13pm

Old fart wanker.
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NSA troll, 22 Apr 2015 @ 2:17pm

"employees who have a right to privacy."

Not if you have something to hide.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 2:55pm

Your state also elected Lieberman, in which case you must live in a perpetual state of shame.

To be fair, I have to deal with Feinstein being my senator.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 2:57pm

OH soo bad
Yeah it exposed to depth of his attempted(?) bribery and corruption. Wait is it illegal to bribe a public official, yeah I think it is.
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That One Guy (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 4:13pm

Re:
Because that second company(Sony), almost certainly is quite 'generous' with 'donations', and would likely look favorably on those that are vocal in pushing to 'defend' them.
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That One Guy (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 4:19pm

Re: There's a slip...
Nah, that wasn't a slip, that's just a cheap emotional plea, 'Please, won't you think of the poor employees?'

Of course other than simple curiosity, most people, and certainly most people reporting on the data, aren't likely to really care about the data regarding the low-level employees, as why should they when there's much more juicy details in the pile?
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 5:32pm

Re: There's a slip...
Besides which, that is what he should be telling sony.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Apr 2015 @ 6:24pm

Ooooh, MAF! Where are you? Still think the leaked emails are of "unknown origin" and "unverified accuracy"? Your boss Chris is shitting himself pretty hard about them!
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tqk (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:31pm

Re:
He reconciles his morals with lots and lots of money.

You believe he has morals? How ... quaint. Somebody the other day called him a paid shill for "special interests." Oh yeah, that was me!
He did condemn WikiLeaks’ decision last week to publish a searchable list of the Sony materials, calling it “terribly wrong” and serving “no public purpose.”

Who gives Dodd the right to determine that? Chris, you're stupidly incorrect, and a paid shill. It does serve my interest, and I'll bet lots of other people's interests, all of whom you're now paid to ignore, or worse. Do you have any pride in yourself left?
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tqk (profile), 22 Apr 2015 @ 10:36pm

Re: Re:
Because it's what bullies do. Ignore right and wrong, reason, ethics, morality, and count your chips until you retire. What a life. Pathetic.
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GEMont (profile), 23 Apr 2015 @ 3:43pm

Nothing personal you understand. Its just business.
"...but I do wonder how he reconciles the fact that he sold out his principles"

Easy. He did not sell out his principles.

He keeps them in a suitcase in the closet at home, so he can properly utilize whatever set of principles his current employers might deem suitable, without conflict.

In this way, he can, when necessary, retrieve his old principles quickly for such things as interviews, public discussions and TV photo-ops.

In the world of big business, this is called "Principle Flexibility".

Without it, one cannot possibly work for the Dark Side, without incurring the debilitating side effects of conscience, remorse and guilt.

As these side effects tend to degrade the ability to do what "must be done, regardless", and thus reap the maximum rewards from the Dark Side, a portable set of principles is an absolute necessity for all successful minions to develop and maintain.

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tqk (profile), 23 Apr 2015 @ 7:31pm

Re: Nothing personal you understand. Its just business.
Without it, one cannot possibly work for the Dark Side, without incurring the debilitating side effects of conscience, remorse and guilt.

Those are easily overcome with liberal doses of ethyl alcohol, which I'm quite sure he employs with great vigour. What congresscritter doesn't? Perhaps not Elizabeth Warren or reps from Utah (maybe), but they'll be exceptions to the rule.
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GEMont (profile), 24 Apr 2015 @ 12:02am

Re: Re: Nothing personal you understand. Its just business.
Ah too true.

Alcohol will dull the feel of steel and allow the villain to do the deeds and forget the details.

However, a minion must consider that his employer might call upon him at any time and demand service.

The Fascist Employer will always see alcohol or drugs as a weakness that might lead that minion to tell tales while under the influence, so a set of transferrable morals, flexible principles and malleable honor are necessary gear for the successful minion in today's cut throat world domination business.

After all, there are a million other minions waiting at the door seeking his job and even the tiniest visible weakness could mean the loss of the two things he holds truly dear.

Money and the belief that he is on the winning side.

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Anonymous Coward, 25 Apr 2015 @ 12:53am

Re:
"employees who have a right to privacy."

"Not if you have something to hide."

You might really be NSA! Or incurably sarcastic.

Since it is impossible to know who has something to hide and who does NOT have something to hide, it is necessary to eliminate privacy from everyone in order to discover those who DO have something to hide.

Only a crooked NSA employee could see that as logic.

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