740°

George Hotz Runs Away to South America; Lies About Having PSN Account

After the judge demanded George Hotz gives in his devices and hard drives, the PlayStation 3 hacker ran away to South America to avoid handing his possessions in and now has put his case in extreme jeopardy. The hacker also lied about having a PlayStation Network account. GeoHot has finally been caught out.

Ve3tro4800d ago

Don't drop the soap, you won't be able to hack your way out of that.

SuperKing4800d ago

Well, atleast that donation money has been put to good use. lol

nveenio4800d ago

Man, if he used that money to leave the country, you can add defrauding the public to his list of faults. Unlike what Sony is suing him for (which is just a civil suit), fraud is a criminal offense, and he could face some real jail time. Something tells me there are a few big brutes in prison that aren't going to be too impressed by Geo's "skillz".

360degrees4800d ago Show
Mmmkay4800d ago

^^^^
trolls only do trolling

ThanatosDMC4800d ago

He better start lubing up while he's over there.

Mr_Bun4800d ago

I see a couple of trolls above who are out some "donation" money.

GrieverSoul4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

Hey guys! Give him more money plz!
/s

He is going to need a lot of it now!! :)

Edit: I can wait to see his next rap! ahah
Rap about giving your PS3 serial number for Sony to track your PSN id... even I wouldnt be so stupid! lol

MrDead4800d ago

@360degrees

I have a psn accout does this mean I'll be banned and forced into exile.... or do you think its because George has been stupid?

MysticStrummer4800d ago

360degrees, you can't possibly believe what you're spouting there... can you? If so... wow.

Krimson-Rage4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

I'm sure the people who did donate money will continue to defend his actions until they're blue in the face.

If he considers what he did 'right', why the flight?

OFF TOPIC:
Does the bubble system here even work? Witness the paranoid, conspiracy theory nonesense being spouted by "360Degrees", yet he has five bubbles?

Bathyj4800d ago

360, look I know because its Sony and you're a 360 shill, you have to stick up for him, but give it up dude.

He's busted, its over.

Youre just embarrassing yourself now.

RedDragan4800d ago

OMG! You guys are missing out one very serious offence here! He sabotaged evidence ordered by a court of law! That is very serious!

Now I am well aware the law firm helping his defence said they will foot the bill.... but after being found to lie in court, and sabotage the Hard Drive I bet you that bill be passed directly to Hotz.

He will be paying that for the rest of his now miserable life! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Hotz will not be able to hack his way out of a jail cell!!! Atleast we won't have to see his ugly mug when he is behind bars!

Christopher4800d ago

Honestly, you gotta wonder how people feel about that if what Sony says is true. I mean, it's one thing for a company to anger hackers, it's another for a hacker to anger those who blindly supported him/her.

Christopher4800d ago

***let this be a lesson to anyone out there who actually believes that once you buy an electronic device, that you now OWN it, and are free to do with it as you please...WRONG***

The only issue here is the ignorance of you and others into thinking that by owning hardware that equates to you owning the software that is an IP of Sony.

People need to understand the massive distinction between the two.

I'm amazed that people are having trouble seeing this, as well. If you buy a PC preloaded with Windows OS and Microsoft Office, do you also assume that you own and can do anything you want with those without Microsoft coming after you for distributing your own modifications of their Software?

360degrees4800d ago Show
RedDragan4800d ago

@360

You do own the hardware. But not the software. You can what you wish the hardware. But not the software.

It isn't a case of should or shouldn't be able to do what you want. The law doesn't work that way. If you feel differently then there is simply bugger all you can do about it. So get used to it or forever cut your own face off to spite yourself.

It's a simple choice really, look what happened to last guy who didn't like it. He ran off to Brazil! LOLOLOL

MrDead4800d ago

@360

STOP. Its hard to get bubbles on this site, your destroying all your work!

harrisk9544800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

As opposed to what is sometimes the norm on N4G, I am going to give you a point by point response to why I believe that you are incorrect in your indictment of Sony on this particular issue.

First, I agree with you that a person should have the right to "jailbreak" or mod a product that they own. Period. End of story. Back in the PS1 days, people would install mod chips to play Japanese games that were unavailable in the U.S. But, in this particular situation, the PS3 hacking is not for the individual and homebrew, but is to enable piracy (though some will use it for homebrew purposes).

I also agree with you that it is probably not the best, from a public relations standpoint, for a corporation, be it MS, Apple, the MPAA, RIAA or Sony, to sue hackers such as George Hotz. It calls more attention to the situation and gets the ire of the hacking community as a whole. The one thing that we can be sure of is that once the cat is out of the bag, it is out of the bag and if you have a community of undoubtably smart people working on hacking a device, it is going to happen sooner or later.

However, I disagree with you that Sony should just sit back and do nothing because Sony does need to do something to protect its products (the same as MS) from those people who want to hack a system for purposes of piracy. I know that people (such as George Hotz) would argue that jailbreaking is for the "homebrew" community. That may be true, but in REALITY, the purpose for jailbreaking for many hackers is to allow the use of pirated games on a system. These game developers spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing and marketing their hardware. If this was merely a question of homebrew, I don't know that Sony would be reacting as forcefully as it is. But, it is about piracy and disruption of online play through Sony's private network, the PSN.

You only have to look at how within a day of the hack being released, Call of Duty was a shambles on the PS3 with cheating run amok.

What George Hotz did was to crack the PS3 and then release the information to the hacking world. He did it loudly. He did it boldly. He did it knowing full well that the information would be used for nefarious purposes. Yet, his ego and his fame within the hacking community drove his actions. As opposed to the iPhone hack, this hacking is going to lead to piracy, pure and simple. The reason that iPhone hacks were found legal is that you are using the jailbroken iPhones for your own purposes, not to foment piracy and hijacking of a gaming network.

While you may not agree that Sony has the right to prevent such actions once you buy the product, the bottom line is that the TOS is crystal clear. You enter into a contract with Sony (and frankly you enter into the same agreement with all software companies when you hit "I Agree") that you will not hack the code. You own the hardware (that is why Sony doesn't sue people for modding their PS3 case), but you only have a license to use the software.

harrisk9544800d ago

George Hotz's actions hurt Sony, yes. But, it also hurt consumers. It hurt people trying to play online games when hackers were cheating. It potentially hurts future game development. Why does a company dump millions upon millions of dollars into a system? There is an initial loss on every system sold and Sony makes money by moving software (licensing, development, distribution, etc.) If a system is being hacked, it gives developers pause when looking to make games for that system -- case in point would be the PSP. By, the way, Sony did not go after hackers on the PSP in the same way they are on the PS3. And what happened? Developers did not develop as much for that system.

Sony knows that is cannot go after every single person that hacks its system. But, it needs to at least draw a line in the sand and try to create some chilling effect and to do what it can to stave off piracy. Sony is a multi-billion dollar corporation that needs to answer to its shareholders who want to see them doing something. Anything to stop what is perceived as a threat to the system.

Now, not only is George Hotz thumping his chest at Sony, he is thumbing his nose at the legal system. You may not agree with the Court's ruling, but it is a ruling based upon existing laws and precedents. If this story is true, then Mr. Hotz is in contempt of Court and could end up being incarcerated for a short time. He is potentially turning a civil action into a criminal one.

Anyway, I could keep writing, but I think that this is long enough and that I made my points. Agree with me or not.

Jdoki4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

Quote 360degrees ".let this be a lesson to anyone out there who actually believes that once you buy an electronic device, that you now OWN it, and are free to do with it as you please...WRONG"

You're talking out of your hat 360. Hotz (and anyone else) can do what they like with the PS3 - it's the distribution of the hack to a the public that is the problem. Sony need his devices / hard drives etc as part of the case, not because they want their property back!!

Opening up a PS3, re-wiring it in to a death-bot and adding a custom firmware would be fine if you used it for home defence. But sell or distribute the hack for the custom firmware to anyone and Sony could/would stomp you.

Just because Sony is taking a hard line with hackers doesn't make them the bad guy. I'm sure you'd be applauding this move if it were MS hunting down hackers - unless you're one of 'those' guys getting your gaming for free!

Prototype4800d ago

Well this proves one thing; he "talks" a good fight.

I wonder whats going through his hacker friends heads now seeing their "leader" ran his mouth then fled like a chicken.

sikbeta4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

So... Wait! ROFLMAO!!!!

He asked for money to "fight against the evil corp" and used that money to run away like a rat!? OMG! this is SO priceless, guess the "community" that "helped" him with $$$ will not be glad about this, Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!XD

Vherostar4800d ago

Hahahaha Hack an MS console they use it to sell consoles hack a Sony console and this happens.. He is truly worried not even Apple could touch this guy after the whole jail breaking stuff he did. This is seriously gonna scare other hackers off and if it doesn't there idiots.

jeseth4800d ago

360 is obviously someone that doesn't read.

Next time you carelessly click "agree" on an online agreement . . . actually take the time to read what you are signing for.

You clearly don't and that makes you and your argument ignorant.

Sony, Microsoft, Apple, etc. etc. all have these agreements. Problem is, people don't take the time to understand what they are signing for.

You sound like the person who goes to McDonald's every day, gains a ton of weight, then tries to sue McDonald's for you being a fat lazy ass. Even though the nutrition values are all over the place.

Educate yourself man. Because all you are doing is embarrassing yourself.

Biggest4800d ago

This might sound crazy, and trust me when I say that I am 100% against George Hotz. . .

Why couldn't he just be down there for spring break? He did just come onto a "large" sum of money thanks to his loyal girlfriends (read: hacker friends/supporters) and spring break is a wonderful place to waste money. While it would make sense that he is trying to run from the US courts, it makes more sense that he is just having fun on someome else's dime.

nveenio4800d ago

"hell even ripped the tags off of your mattress"

You obviously have never read that tag. It's not an offense to remove it if you are the person that purchased it. The reason it is illegal to remove it if you ARE NOT the purchaser of the product is because it contains information that the buyer needs to know.

If you can't get the logistics behind something THAT simple right, then what makes you think you understand the Sony dilemma?

Dee_914800d ago

thank you harrisk954 for explaining saving me the time from doing so
because he obviously clueless as to how things like this work

jadenkorri4800d ago

no point trying to explain to 360degrees, hes a 360 fanboy troll. Jumps onto every ps3 article and trolls like every 360 fanboy and spouts false information every time. Will completely ignore the fact that MS does this too with the 360, fact, they ban from live if you put in your own fan to cool the system better.

4800d ago
+ Show (27) more repliesLast reply 4800d ago
jriquelme_paraguay4800d ago

where he is?
im from south america
yo me voy a encargar de el

CBaoth4800d ago

And here I thought his "magic legs" would've carried him to Greenbow, Alabama!

Acquiescence4800d ago

I'm having a hard time picturing his royal Hotzness holed up in a favela or boating downstream through rapids in the Amazon.

He'd be all like..."WHERE'S MAH TECHNOLOGIEEEES?!"

jriquelme_paraguay4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

@Acquiescence i think you are an ignorant... do you think we dont have "TECHNOLOGIEEEES"??

Or South America is only Jungle? Favela?
LOOOOOOOL

White-Sharingan4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

Si llegas a encontrar a George, lo capturas y se lo envias a Sony por el correo :)

jriquelme_paraguay4800d ago

@White-Sharingan: primero lo cago a palos XD

silvacrest4800d ago

WOW....ignorance at its finest, what are you? 9?

do us all a favour and read a few books or better yet go travelling and open your mind

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4800d ago
morkendo234800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

so HOTZ hack the money and ran his sissy ass to south america what a FKING hacker.

morkendo234800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

hey!!! HOTZ sony has hacker proof lawyer in south america too you can run but U!! cant hide.

WharenPeace4800d ago

Now we know where all those donations went... a ticket abroad, and some cash to hide in South America for a few years.

zeal0us4800d ago

Lol I bet this will be one of the last time ppl donate to some hacker

oh w8 a minute it won't, ppl will still donate. Soon as a hacker promise them goodies if they get the donations.

He basically just screwed any hope(if there was any( for future hackers that sony take to court.

WharenPeace4800d ago

So true zeal0us.

By the way, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and accept that he's probably on vacation somewhere in South America, however what's more damning is the allegation that he tampered with evidence.

stuna14800d ago

Stick a fork in him, he's done!
No matter how good a hacker is, there are always ways to recover deleted files in software.

frostypants4800d ago

Wow. Way to stand up for what you believe in, coward. Guess you are just a petty lying little thief after all.

unknownhero11234800d ago

as if there was any doubt of his true intentions. GeoHotz screwed his own community over. If nothing else, they can get him for defrauding the public right?

Persistantthug4800d ago

to a country where the chicks are hot.

But something tells me he wasn't smart enough to do that. lol

tatotiburon4800d ago

runaway??? hahaha lmao the guy is on vacation, IGN posted some pictures this guy is having fun in buenos aires...he is WINNING like charlie sheen, enjoying his momentum and Sony still trying to stop the hacker community without any succes losing money everyday because piracy

Sharingan_no_Kakashi4800d ago

As Antoine Dodson would say

"They gone find you. They gone find you."

BubbleSniper4800d ago

now we can all laff 2 the people who donated to him...

where is failoverhero @?

fkn clown

LOL!

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 4800d ago
Chaostar4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

For someone so smart he's being pretty dumb. I hope he loses, not because because of any moral or ethical standing on what he has done but simply because he has the most punchable face I've ever seen and I'm not a violent man.

@delbert lol that's pretty bad but Georgey boy puts him in close second.

ThanatosDMC4800d ago

Pfft... that's nothing. Look at my avatar again.

Bathyj4800d ago

Thanatos, your avatar has always creeped me out.

And coming from me thats saying something.

Chaostar4800d ago

DING DING DING!

We have a wiener.

I actually punched my screen.

Cartesian3D4800d ago

lmao!! I have tears in my eyes... OMG xD

dredgewalker4800d ago

@Gman

You owe me a monitor! I punched my screen on reflex seeing that second pic!

Karlnag34800d ago

I was expecting this face.

gman_2974800d ago

@Chaostar
I did too while I was looking for a good face-punching pic. Now I have it wrapped in bandages since I hit the screen so many times.

@dredgewalker
I'd recommend putting a glass block from Minecraft in front of the screen so you're hitting that first, not the screen :)

@Karlnag3
Was one of my original thoughts, but I think Beiber is more punchable for being the biggest one of the new music conspirators that have destroyed today's music industry. And music may be more of a part of my life than gaming, now that I think about it.

R.I.P. 80's.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4800d ago
thekiddfran4800d ago

What makes you think he is smart?everything he has done so far has been a desperate cry out for attention.

zag4800d ago

He's already lost.

You don't do a runner because your just about to win your case.

He's failed to comply with a number of court orders, In court the truth ends up coming out because people trawl through everything.

He'll be arrested and hauled back to the US.

Before he would have only had a fine or small jail time.

Now he's fucked the court around and everyone else his lawyers will be majorly pissed, so won't care what happens to him, but now he'll be looking at jail time and major fines.

he's fucked his life up now, he'll never be able to enter the US again.

stupid kids that what it is, think they can run around doing all this stuff yet can't.

frostypants4800d ago (Edited 4800d ago )

People tend not to fully understand how the world really works until they are well into their 20s. Kids (and yeah, 21 is still a kid) of George Hotz' age *think* they know it all, and *think* that their world views are enlightened and that everyone else just doesn't get it.

This kid is finding out how big a misjudgment that really is. You can't go through life doing whatever the frack you want and not expect the people you share the world with to just sit back and oblige. He and his supporters are forgetting than corporations like Sony are run by other people, who are as interested in protecting their livelihood as he is in messing with it.

Reality. It can smack you upside the head.

Nitrowolf24800d ago

Indeed, he is such a dumbass. He should have stayed for those very reasons, now he is going to get sued by his lawyers.

First off, the court can now automatically rule for Sony and he will be charged for Failure to appear.

Pretty much Sony went to court alone and since Geo Wasn't there Sony can use any evidence they want and the court will have no choice but to agree since they can't hear Geo side.

Pretty much Geo F'd up and now can be sued for other things

dredgewalker4800d ago

After this stunt he's certainly gonna be penniless, but the good news is that when it turns into a criminal case then a lot of folks in jail are gonna make a deposit in his ass :)

Graphics4800d ago

Damn.. How can people support a company that is so anti-customers. Sony go's to the extreme to protect there profits but won't dare fix a YLOD ps3 for free which happend to me TWICE!

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christheredhead4800d ago

dude is a joke. he continues to make a fool of himself.

ColinZeal4800d ago

Yeah, why support this idiot?
I´m glad I didn´t.

jc485734800d ago

he has a pretty iconic face

Raendom4800d ago

Lmao. Has anyone here watched "ancient aliens" on the history channel? He looks like that mental guy who believes in anceint astronaut theory:

http://img202.imageshack.us...

yewles14800d ago

WIIIIN!!! ROFLMFAO!!! *passes out*

KonaBro4800d ago

That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. About time ol' Georgie boy got caught. Now, let's hope you don't get "circumvented" in prison. ;)

4800d ago
Show all comments (244)
110°

7 Deserving Games That Never Got Backward Compatibility

Backward compatibility works for many games on newer consoles, but titles such as The Simpsons: Hit and Run have been left out.

90°

20 Best Survival Games of All Time

From base building to swinging willies, here are the best survival games around, which include a couple of less than obvious picks.

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culturedvultures.com
Vader821d 9h ago

No 7 days to die is criminal

210°

Microsoft once tried to nab LittleBigPlanet from Sony after a few drinks

It turns out that many moons ago, Microsoft once had its eye on the Sony published LittleBigPlanet series.

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
XiNatsuDragnel4d ago

Microsoft had a good idea but fumbled it again.

Cacabunga2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Project Spark idea was decent but they quickly gave up ..
LBP was wonderful

ApocalypseShadow3d ago

Microsoft in a nutshell. Always tried to poach Sony employees, games, 3rd party games and devices like the depth camera that was turned into Kinect but was running on PS2 before Xbox 360. Wouldn't be surprised they wanted LBP. Just like they worked behind the scenes pushing the MLB to bring Sony's baseball game to Xbox instead of making their own.
https://www.playstationlife...

They didn't spend years trying to develop their own baseball game. They wanted Sony's game.

They're scum.

Zachmo1822d ago

Microsoft didn't force MLB on Xbox. MLB gave Sony 2 options either go multiplat or risk losing the license.

Rynxie2d ago

And why do you think MLB said that? I believe Ms approached MLB.

ApocalypseShadow2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Totally ridiculous comment.

The only exclusivity Sony had was to their own creation of The Show. Microsoft could have paid the MLB for the license just like Sony did and made their own baseball game.

Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox. They're worth 3 TRILLION dollars. You think that's not enough money to make their own baseball game? Don't be delusional.

Microsoft spun it like they always do and told the media that they had to trust Sony with their hardware. After they put Sony in that position of not having a choice. Either go multiplatform or stop making one of their successful games. That's a no win scenario.

And what did Microsoft do? They didn't try to sell the game to the Xbox community. They put it on game pass to hurt Sony. Pushing the idea of why buy games that are $70 when you can play them in their cheap service for $10. It was a dirty tactic.

You fell for the Kool aid drink Microsoft served you instead of spitting it out. Hope it tasted good because you were fooled by Phil and the gang.

2d ago
Hereandthere2d ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Bond revealed that MLB The Show “always came up” in conversations between Microsoft and the Major League Baseball organization. “We always said, ‘We love this game. It would be a huge opportunity to bring it to Xbox.'” she recalled. However, when Microsoft’s efforts materialized, it put the company in an awkward situation where it had to send in pre-release consoles to a rival company.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2d ago
Notellin2d ago

"Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox."

Take a nap, conspiracies are rotting your brain.

2d ago
Hereandthere2d ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

ApocalypseShadow1d 13h ago

Lying to yourself is unbecoming.

Article link tells you all you need to know in Sarah Bond's own words.

Hereandthere2d ago

They were too cheap/inept/lazy to develop their own mlb game, so they port begged for years and bribed the mlb to make the show multiplatform. Like i said many times, xbox brought nothing to the table their 24 years, ZERO.

ApocalypseShadow1d 13h ago

At least you and others get it. Note drank the Kool aid and asked for seconds thinking it was refreshing.

Most don't even know how it all played out but it's there in black and white for all to see. Microsoft brought it up for years until the MLB forced Sony's hand. It was a win win for Microsoft. Kill one reason to buy a PlayStation or kill the game by dropping it in a cheap service to kill Sony's sales numbers on PlayStation.

OtterX3d ago

"However, Healey said Media Molecule wouldn't have felt right doing that, adding it would have been "morally corrupt"."

Major kudos to Media Molecule for being an upright studio with principles.

Cockney1d 8h ago

They chose well, Sony gave them the backing to pursue their dreams with no restrictions even tho their games especially dreams have very niche appeal. Media molecule and Sony deserve respect for this in an age of risk averse publishing.

RNTody3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Great, more stories like this please. Show the last of the zombies holding the line what we've been saying for years: Microsoft is anti competition, anti industry and has no interest in making games at all.

But hey, at least there's an Xbox Games Showcase to look forward to, right?

Inverno2d ago

Well considering SONY just killed the series, LBP would've been dead by now either way. Though MM probably wouldn't exist by now either, so I'm glad they stayed with SONY, hopefully they don't get shut down any time soon or ever honestly.

Inverno2d ago

They shut down the servers, that's millions of user created levels gone. That and dead are pretty much the same, it's also been years since 3 and they cancelled HUB soooo.

2d ago
fsfsxii2d ago

They shutdown the servers because no one was playing, no one in the community cared about the user created levels so why keep them up? Wtf you guys would never succeed in running a business.

Inverno2d ago

Yea dood no one was playing so they shut off the servers. Cause people with enough common sense can't just Google why they were actually shut of, right?

Show all comments (29)