No, I'm not offering any tech support for the atrocious rootkit that Sony/BMG have perpetrated on Wintel users who purchased a some music CD's which have an eminently hackable rootkit and the End User License Agreement from Hell on them...I'm offering an observation about how to make someone's life miserable...and who is that someone? Why your congresscriminal, whether or not they voted to support the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA), the piece of legislation that the Big Record Companies wanted to protect their dying hold over recorded music. Am I in favor of piracy? No. I own/legally license all the software I have on my various computers, I buy music off iTunes or purchase CD's (less and less frequently as the iTunes catalog increases).

But I digress. The entertainment industry and the software bidness spent tons of money buying votes in congress to pass the DMCA, which is one of the things that I am sure emboldened Sony to go for the "gold" so to speak. Their rootkit is so obnoxious that even Microsoft is considering it Malware and releasing a tool to rid your system of it...when Microsoft acts that fast, you know they don't want to be blamed for someone elses boo-boo, if that's what it is.

Apparently Sony is not being real forthcoming with the CD's that are affected, and they are not being real helpful with mitigating issues that their software has caused.

So, here's a suggestion: if you have a problem, or suspect you have a problem related to the rootkit, don't call Microsoft, don't call your Anti-virus vendor, don't call your PC manufacturer...call your member of congress and ask for tech support. In fact, insist on tech support because without the DMCA, there would be no rootkit or any other crap like that. Don't take no for an answer, insist that they help you. And don't forget your senators, they need to help you too...there are less of them to go around, but they too are responsible for enabling companies that want to screw up your Personal computers.

Here's the link for the House switchboard and members offices in DC. I don't have a list of all the local offices, but here's a link from the House website where you can put in your zip code (you need zip+4 to do a lookup, here's the link to find your zip+4) and find your representative, and their DC and local phone numbers.

Remember, it's your computer and some huge company should not be denying you your right to its full use. They also should not be putting software on it that enables hackers to take over your machine for various ill purposes. If the rootkit has stopped your computer from working, or has allowed attacks on your computer because of the exploitable vulnerabilities it presents, call your Congressperson and Senator for tech support to regain the full functionality you expected when you turned on your computer and discovered the rootkit has hosed you.

Whether your elected representative is a Democrat a republican, was in the 105th Congress that passed the DMCA or not, they need to help you out...this is their fault and they can fix it. Yesterday if they want to by getting rid of the whole DMCA, part and parcel. So call'em and don't take no for an answer, it's your PC and they're your representatives. Your PC should just work and it's their responsibility to fix it.

Now call. And when they tell you they don't do Tech Support (which they will) don't be shy about asking how to fix it and offering a solution: Dump DMCA or in 2006 you'll remember that they appreciated the big campaign contributors and lobbyists who bought DMCA better than you and your vote.

update: this is really interesting. It seems that there are over 500,000 networks worldwide that have PC's which are Sony rootkit infected. Wow.

Call...call...call.