Weekend Reading: Free Is Not the Path to Trust

With the PlayStation Network now back up and working, apparently with improved security measures that should prevent any attacks like those of April 20 from taking place again, and Sony is now facing the task of making sure that the security issues and communications problems it has since had do not lead to an exodus from the PlayStation 3 based service.

Those who own a PS3 can choose two titles from a field including: Dead Nation, inFAMOUS, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust Hdand Wipeout HD + Fury.

Those who used a PlayStation Portable to access the PSN can also take their pick from: LittleBigPlanet, ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation.

These are fairly good and varied games, even if they belong to an older generation, with most of them having received or set to get sequels, and some of the player base might see this as a worthy olive branch.

But the move seems particularly clumsy coming from Sony, a company that should be big enough to understand that, when it comes to business, trust is one of the most important currencies and that giving away free content is not the way to regain it once lost.

Sony already made a good start with the announcement that it will ensure those who use the PSN against identity theft and all further image rebuilding initiatives should use the same template, with Sony directly talking to gamers about fears and about how it can mitigate them in the long run.

Lack of communication, especially in the early days, was seen as a big problem, so Sony should make more of an effort to talk about its services and about what's happening to them, perhaps delivering regular updates on the official PS Blog and talking about possible threats that are on their radar.

Actual security of the PSN remains a concern and Sony should maybe contract some outside companies, allowing them to take a look at the situation and make a public report, complete with suggestions on how the security can be increased.