geohot

Famed iPhone hacker George Hotz, better known as "Geohot," is working for Facebook.

The news of Hotz joining the social network first cropped up over the weekend in a report by TechUnwrapped. Facebook later confirmed the news to several publications, including CNET sister site ZDNet.

Following initial reports, Techmeme founder Gabe Rivera reported on his Twitter account over the weekend that Hotz had joined Facebook in May. Hotz reportedly announced the news on his Facebook account earlier this month.

It is currently not clear what Hotz does at Facebook.

Hotz made a name for himself in 2007 by … Read more

The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down California's attempt to ban the sale of violent video games to minors, arguing that the current ratings system is enough to let parents make informed decisions about what to buy. Unlike the MPAA's rating system, which led me and my 4-year-old to "Cars 2." Thanks for that, MPAA. Also, LulzSec tucks its puppykicker tail and runs away, but not before hacking a librarian and book-sharing Website. Nice.

Anonymous is now dedicating itself to Sony, according to an open letter allegedly from the infamous hacking group known for its WikiLeaks-related attacks last year.

"You have now received the undivided attention of Anonymous," the open letter to Sony reads. "Your recent legal action against our fellow hackers, Geohot and Graf_Chokolo has not only alarmed us, it has been deemed wholly unforgivable."

Earlier this year, Sony filed for a restraining order against a group of PlayStation 3 hackers, most notably George Hotz (known as Geohot in hacking circles) for jailbreaking the console and allowing people to run custom packages on the device. At the time, Sony said that Geohot's alleged actions violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the Computer Fraud Abuse Act. Graf_Chokolo is another person being sued by Sony for alleged hacking.

Although Hotz denies that his activity in jailbreaking PlayStation 3 firmware violates the DMCA, Sony was awarded a temporary restraining order. Since then, Hotz and Sony have been battling it out in court to determine if the U.S. District Court of Northern California, where Sony wants to try the case, has jurisdiction over Hotz, who resides in New Jersey.… Read more

A U.S. district court judge in the Northern District of California has granted Sony Computer Entertainment America access to famed hacker George Hotz's PayPal account.

According to a ruling (PDF) filed Tuesday by Judge Joseph C. Spero, SCEA will be able to examine PayPal donations made to Hotz--better known as "Geohot"--between January 1, 2009, and February 1, 2011, to see if some of the funds received came from Northern California. If so, Hotz would be forced to fight his case in that district, rather than in his home state of New Jersey, as his attorney … Read more

George Hotz, better known by his hacker name "Geohot," started a blog over the weekend to fire shots at Sony and raise cash for his legal bout with the company.

Hotz launched his new blog on Friday with a flurry of posts outlining his stance against Sony. His first post, entitled "This is war," claims that Sony Computer Entertainment America "has declared war on hackers." He followed that up with three "facts" that he believes, everyone should know about him.

"I have never pirated a PlayStation 3 game in my life, … Read more

Sony has been granted a temporary restraining order against George Hotz, better known as Geohot.

"After consideration of the record and the arguments of counsel, the court finds that a temporary restraining order is warranted," Northern District Court of California judge Susan Illston wrote in a judgment dated Wednesday and released yesterday (PDF). "Plaintiff has submitted substantial evidence showing that defendant George Hotz has violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act."

Sony initially filed its request for a temporary restraining order earlier this month. It said at the time that Hotz bypassed "effective technological protective measures&… Read more

Although Microsoft gave the team that created the Windows Phone 7 home brew unlocker ChevronWP7 a very friendly "please stop doing this" several months ago, it's gone in a slightly different direction with the infamous hacker who cracked both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Apple's iPhone wide open.

Earlier this week, hacker George Hotz, who is better known as "GeoHot," announced that he was beginning work on a jailbreak for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform. Shortly thereafter, Brandon Watson--who runs developer platform product management for Microsoft, offered Hotz a Windows Phone over Twitter, … Read more

After being hit with a restraining order from Sony earlier this week for allegedly bypassing "effective technological protective measures" in PlayStation 3 firmware 3.55, iPhone hacker George Hotz, better known as "Geohot," has decided it's time to stand up to the tech giant.

"Right now, still legally, you can go to my Web site and download my jailbreak for your PS3," Hotz said in an interview with G4TV's Attack of the Show last night. "And what it lets you do is install home-brew applications."

Sony won't be happy … Read more

Sony yesterday filed a restraining order against well-known iPhone hacker George Hotz, known as "Geohot," and other individuals for allegedly bypassing "effective technological protective measures" in PlayStation 3 firmware version 3.55.

The recently released jailbreak for firmware version 3.55 allows PlayStation 3 owners to run custom packages on the console. Geohot's ultimate goal is to bring back the "Other OS" option that was removed from the PlayStation 3 last year.

Sony's restraining order attempts to stop Geohot from offering the jailbreak. The company claims that the jailbreak violates the Digital … Read more