14 DAY TRIAL // WikiLeaks released 30,287 documents and 173,132 emails from Sony Pictures Entertainment to the public, after the Japanese giant was hacked at the end of last year during the release of “The Interview,” the controversial movie which was allegedly the reason behind the hack.
Now everyone can freely search through the much anticipated archives and snoop further into Sony’s affairs, which is obviously pretty disturbing for the company.
“The cyber-attack on Sony Pictures was a malicious criminal act, and we strongly condemn the indexing of stolen employee and other private and privileged information on WikiLeaks,” Sony said in a statement for The Hollywood Reporter.
The company also claims that by making this information public, WikiLeaks is contributing to the harm done to SPE and its employees, and that revealing the documents means putting their well-being and safety at risk.
Amy Pascal, Sony’s co-chairman, was one of the people who were directly affected by the leak, as she was fired shortly after the hack took place, although official statements claimed the departure had been the result of a mutual agreement between her and the company.
She later on expressed her frustration towards the press for having reported on her leaked emails.
WikiLeaks is resolute about keeping the documents public
WikiLeaks declared that they made the decision to publish the documents in an attempt to preserve “historical archive.” Furthermore, they claim that the archives are an irrefutable proof of the fact that the company has strong ties to the White House and that it has power over laws and policies.
However, Sony’s reaction is perfectly legitimate, given that the documents contain private discussions between the executives and reveal secret information from within the multinational company.
Despite Sony’s protest at the release, WikiLeaks has expressed its determination to make sure the documents remain in the public domain.
The Japanese company had tried to prevent the distribution of the leaked emails before, by threatening to take legal action against Twitter if the social website endorsed the distribution of the hacked material.
Although some were quick to praise WikiLeaks for their initiative, there are people who strongly disagree with the distribution of personal information which could have serious consequences on innocent people, namely the Sony employees.