Taipei City may fine Sony NT$300,000 for PSN user info leak

The Taipei City government has issued a legal letter demanding that Sony Corp., the parent company of PSN, explain and fix the situation within 10 days of receiving the letter or face fines between NT$30,000 and NT$300,000.

According to wire news sources, Sony posted an announcement on its blog Tuesday, stating that an unauthorized user hacked into the Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Network and Qriocity service between April 17 and April 19. The hacker broke into the accounts of around 77 million subscribers, gaining access to their names, addresses, passwords and possibly even credit card information. On April 20, Sony temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.

Taipei City Government Law and Regulation Commission Chairman Yeh Ching-Yuan said Sony's leak severely compromises PSN subscriber identity which should be considered a clear breach of consumer property rights.

According to the Consumer Protection Law, business operators are responsible for “facilitating the safety of the consumer life of nationals, and improving the quality of the consumer life of nationals.”

Yeh said Sony Corp. must provide the number of subscribers in the Taiwan area and explain why, although the cyber attack occurred between April 17 and 19, that it did not turn off the hacked services until April 20 and did not offer an official explanation until April 26. Furthermore, Sony Corp. must detail the risks and possible impact inherent in the leaked user information and offer methods of repair as well as compensation.

If the company fails to do so within 10 days of receiving the Taipei City Government letter, Sony Corp. can face fines of up to NT$300,000.

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