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WikiLeaks has published "The Sony Archives," a searchable database containing 30,287 documents and 173,132 emails leaked from Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). The WikiLeaks press release portrays the archive as newsworthy and in the public interest:
WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange said: "This archive shows the inner workings of an influential multinational corporation. It is newsworthy and at the centre of a geo-political conflict. It belongs in the public domain. WikiLeaks will ensure it stays there."
Sony is a member of the MPAA and a strong lobbyist on issues around internet policy, piracy, trade agreements and copyright issues. The emails show the back and forth on lobbying and political efforts, not only with the MPAA but with politicians directly. In November 2013 WikiLeaks published a secret draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) IP Chapter. The Sony Archives show SPE's internal reactions, including discussing the impact with Michael Froman, the US Trade Representative. It also references the case against Megaupload and the extradition of its founder Kim DotCom from New Zealand as part of SPE's war on piracy.
The connections and alignments between Sony Pictures Entertainment and the US Democratic Party are detailed through the archives, including SPE's CEO Lynton attending dinner with President Obama at Martha's Vineyard and Sony employees being part of fundraising dinners for the Democratic Party. There are emails setting up a collective within the corporation to get around the 5,000 USD limit on corporate campaign donations to give 50,000 USD to get the Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo elected as "Thanks to Governor Cuomo, we have a great production incentive environment in NY and a strong piracy advocate that’s actually done more than talk about our problems."
Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton is on the board of trustees of RAND Corporation, an organisation specialising in research and development for the United States military and intelligence sector. The Sony Archives show the flow of contacts and information between these two major US industries, whether it is RAND wanting to invite George Clooney and Kevin Spacey to events, or Lynton offering contact to Valerie Jarrett (a close advisor to Obama) or RAND desiring a partnership with IMAX for digital archiving. With this close tie to the military-industrial complex it is no surprise that Sony reached out to RAND for advice regarding its North Korea film The Interview. RAND provided an analyst specialised in North Korea and suggested Sony reach out to the State Department and the NSA regarding North Korea's complaints about the upcoming film. The Sony documents also show Sony being in possession of a brochure for an NSA-evaluated online cloud security set-up called INTEGRITY.
Additional coverage at BBC and LA Times. Sony has condemned the document dump:
"The attackers used the dissemination of stolen information to try to harm SPE and its employees, and now WikiLeaks regrettably is assisting them in that effort," said a Sony Pictures spokesperson in a statement. "We vehemently disagree with WikiLeaks' assertion that this material belongs in the public domain and will continue to fight for the safety, security, and privacy of our company and its more than 6,000 employees."
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @09:01PM
You say that your country has standards on baby formula? [google.com]
That's nice.
Under SHAFTA, if a corporation contests your country's right to set a standard, they can appeal to a tribunal for the right to ignore that law.
The tribunal will be made up of corporate types.
Guess who is going to win that one (and every subsequent challenge to national sovereignty). [google.com]
Contact your people in DC.
"No fast-track approval on TPP."
Insist that they argue every section, point-by-point.
If exposed to any scrutiny, SHAFTA will never pass.
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Saturday April 18 2015, @12:05AM
It will not be scrutinized. It will trample people until some violent reaction happen. Systems analytics..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 18 2015, @02:08AM
From what I hear on Pacifica Radio[1] and read via online sources, Lamestream Media hasn't mentioned TPP except to mention that Obama likes it.[2]
If people aren't aware of what a giant power shift this will allow, I fear you may be correct.
[1] The last broadcast outlet I know of that hasn't sold its soul to Corporate America.
[2] Obama sucks.
(I just heard Elizabeth Warren give a half-hour talk.[3] [kpfk.org] That chick is awesome.)
[3] 13MB MP3. Available until mid-July. She starts at 24:44.
-- gewg_