2019-08-06 - Electronic Software Association: "Removal of Protected Content"

[SlavicCyanide]

Wait. So these people had the opportunity to blame dox central (us) for this fuck-up but instead threw some random person under the bus?
No wonder why they didn't have it all secured properly. They're fuckin dumb.

10/10 800 IQ

Woah. Did I just predict us being blamed for something?

 

[Takodachi]

The best part is that they cant do jackshit about it. I'd love to see them sue the site (or try to probably) just to see the collective everyone turn their heads and laugh at them.

 

[Iwasamwillbe]

The ESA has less skill and actual value than a paraplegic taxi driver with deformed hands.

 

[IAmNotAlpharius]

Maybe they should’ve tried bribing or anything but this.

GAMERGATE 2.0 here we go!

We are GamerGate now.

 

[GethN7]

This BS has to be the most stupid attempt to put the genie back in the bottle I've ever seen.

Seeing Null kick the ESA in the crotch like he did just made it funnier.

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

Classy and well thought out as always, Noll.

 

[AnOminous]

This BS has to be the most stupid attempt to put the genie back in the bottle I've ever seen.

Seeing Null kick the ESA in the crotch like he did just made it funnier.

What do you expect from people so stupid that when told their dick is dangling in the breeze and everyone can see it, just sit there with both thumbs up their asses for literally months?

 

[Fatrick Hamlinson]

If information can be copyrighted, then someone should "copyright" the ESA's information.

I intend to list the address of 601 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001 as the location of my new business: Rumps For Rent, LLC.

Now people will call (202) 223-2400 to schedule a good ass fuck.

 

[KingofNothing]

They should have cared more back when this happened in February

 

[Sammy]

I'm here waiting for Jim Sterling to start namecalling the site because we're horrible people or something,

He responded already, sorry if reposted already in the other thread or late or whatever.
Makes vague references to SHITTY WEIRDO CREEPO STALKER FUCKERS OUT THERE but no direct reference to the farming of kiwis.

Mostly just screams the ESA are incompetent clowns for three and a half minutes at the start of the video, so while he wouldn't be associated with us in any visible way seems like he shares much of the same opinion expressed by the farms as a collective.

 

[Niggernerd]

They're our doxes now, ESA.

 

[MisoSupper]

get fucked ESA
get fucked Game Journo hacks ruining our hobby from the inside with their incestuous yellow journalism

 

[melty]

An Excel file full of other people's information is now protected copyright... Ok that's new

I would love to see the email chain that led to this letter. I've seen some similar communications, it usually goes something like this.
Managers: these people are doing something we don't like. Is it illegal? Can we stop this?
Lawyers: you can try this thing, it has a moderate chance of success. But they could take you to court in return for interfering with their thing. This is a several paragraph explanation that probably cost you at least $1,000. In the end, it's up to you.
Managers: ah, okay.

It probably cost them a good amount of money to send this garbage to null.

 

[din365]

You can clearly tell it was some low level staffer that was forced to send that dressed up pile of shit. They must think they can bully the farms like they can bully some kid that downloads a rom or some shit, but clearly that's not the case.

 

[Ghostse]

Oh fuck oh fuck Diomedes' horses have been released by Hercules, and they are running wild through town trampling, eating, and raping anyone in their path. I can hear the screams from here, I can see people are jumping from cliffs into the sea to try to escape the madness, and it looks like the palace is on fire. There is only one thing to do.
*Serves Hercules with papers instructing him to close the currently wide open stable gate, dusts hands*
Heh, Problem solved.

 

[nyess]

"Hello, I must demand you take that off the internet good sir"

null:

 

[tehpope]

Go fuck yourself ESA. Shouldn't have cheeped out on IT Security.

 

[⠠⠠⠅⠑⠋⠋⠁⠇⠎ ⠠⠠⠊⠎ ⠠⠠⠁ ⠠⠠⠋⠁⠛]

I love how they spew an obnoxiously long list of devs and publishers in an attempt to scare you into backing down.

Null can forget about ever writing for Kotaku.

 

[iamcitizeninsane]

Go fuck yourself ESA. Shouldn't have cheeped out on IT Security.

Well that’s not even the issue. Their genius leaders just put an unprotected file on a public part of their website. Way to go.

 

[Fcret]

This is going to go down well in the upcoming GDPR lawsuit from all the Europeans affected. Not only were ESA apparently notified in February but they've had two previous data leaks as well, and it took them 15 and 13 years respectively to alert people to them.

I think they are trying to downplay the data protection aspect of this and that's why they used Copyright law rather than DP law when asking Null to take it down. It's not just the US DP laws they have to deal with but GDPR and other international DP laws, most of which have been updated to be quite similar to GDPR since 2018. They didn't act when they were first notified and haven't been able to secure the data either which makes it messy. There are very few home addresses and personal phone numbers on the spread sheet though, it is mostly business addresses and business email addresses and phone numbers, this wouldn't have been such a big deal if they had of acted when they were first notified.

The ESA is a US only trade association. There are currently no international agreements concerning DP between the US and GDPR countries in the EU, so there's really no avenue to sue them for that. In the best case, they can be sued in absentia and then blocked on the eurowebs, but otherwise there's not much eurocourts can do.