Sony Pictures might be spared further embarrassment resulting from future data dumps, according to emails received by Sony executives today. CNN reports that Sony execs got a new email that matches the pattern, language and email list of previous threats and demands, but this one apparently praises Sony for its “very wise” choice in cancelling the release of “The Interview.”
While it isn’t clear yet what exactly the supposed hackers are promising with this latest message, it does appear to suggest that we won’t see further information from the hacked trove of data released. Sony’s decision has been widely criticized by Hollywood luminaries, and by politicians on Twitter and elsewhere, as a move that amounts to giving in to terrorist threats.
The White House will reportedly talk about how the Sony hack credibly appears to have originated from North Korea, with President Obama scheduled to brief the press on the subject later today. The fact that the hack likely originated there might make it seem more reasonable that Sony capitulated in this case, but it also may mean that North Korea has effectively won a victory here, having effectively shut down the release of a major U.S. motion picture (albeit not one with considerable gravitas).
This new email received by Sony today also further threatens the studio, saying that they want Sony to also never release the movie via digital distribution, DVD or even leaks for piracy. They also require that its trailers and any web-stored full version be pulled down, and that failure to do so could result in further leaks of the information gathered from the initial hack.