Moderator of the entertainment and social networking website Reddit have started a comprehensive crackdown on users that attempts to share or publicize leaked Sony information. The crackdown has seen several users being banned after posting files related to the almost 250GB leaked Sony data.
According to Reddit, users who posted those contents have violated the terms and agreement regarding the posting and/or sharing of personal data. Reddit also deleted related posts and banned one specific subreddit "SonyGOP."
Users attempting to access the mentioned subreddit will be redirected to information stating that the subreddit has been banned.
Days after the infamous Sony hack, the company's lawyers began sending warnings and notifications to various media outlets warning them of possible legal repercussions in case they share any information related to the hacked documents. Reports shows that Reddits move to delete and ban posts relating to the leaked documents were in response to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) sent to them by Sony.
Regular users of the website will sense the familiarity of this move as the same to the "Celebgate" hack that occurred last Sept. The "Celebgate" hack saw the spread of hacked nude photos of various celebrities; some of the celebrities involved were even underage at the time when the photos were taken.
The current takedown on Reddit is probably Sony's most successful legal move in order to suppress and halt the further distribution of the stolen documents. Sony has already sent legal notices to various media outlets and news sites around the world including the New York Times, demanding that they "destroy the stolen information." Media organizations and news websites have yet to comment about this bold move made by Sony to stop the spread of the stolen documents.
However, Sony's attempts to suppress the stolen data from its servers have initiated a "Barbara Streisand Effect." The stolen information just kept on spreading like wildfire.