Corporate Espionage
November 10, 2011 10:06 AM Subscribe
One month ago, Électricité de France S.A. (EDF), one Europe's biggest power producers, went on trial for allegedly hiring a security firm to hack into Greenpeace's computers. Today, the sentence has come down and the security firm, EDF, and its executives (and in a separate sentence of the broader hacking trial, disgraced bicyclist Floyd Landis), will be seeing fines and jail time. Greenpeace responds.
Wow. I almost don't believe it.
posted by spicynuts at 10:18 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by spicynuts at 10:18 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
As the great Mahatma Gandhi (nearly) said, ”First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they spy on you, then you win”.
posted by infini at 10:18 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by infini at 10:18 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh, great, I thought that first exclamation point was upside down and now I have America stuck in my head all day. Thank you.
posted by griphus at 10:26 AM on November 10, 2011
posted by griphus at 10:26 AM on November 10, 2011
Is there going to be an appeal or something? Something tells me that exec will stay out of jail somehow ...
posted by memebake at 10:30 AM on November 10, 2011
posted by memebake at 10:30 AM on November 10, 2011
Or in Matlab, "~America"
I have a feeling is that a lot of this is due to the fact that EDF is pretty unpopular in France. I recall seeing a National Geographic article (quite a while ago) where the EDF were going to flood or destroy a village for some power plant project and the locals graffiti'ed the area with "EDF = [swastika], Voleurs," etc.
The court probably wouldn't have done this if the EDF were fondly regarded by the populace.
posted by zomg at 10:40 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
I have a feeling is that a lot of this is due to the fact that EDF is pretty unpopular in France. I recall seeing a National Geographic article (quite a while ago) where the EDF were going to flood or destroy a village for some power plant project and the locals graffiti'ed the area with "EDF = [swastika], Voleurs," etc.
The court probably wouldn't have done this if the EDF were fondly regarded by the populace.
posted by zomg at 10:40 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
"The court probably wouldn't have done this if the EDF were fondly regarded by the populace."
France isn't some banana republic, you know.
posted by jaduncan at 11:01 AM on November 10, 2011
France isn't some banana republic, you know.
posted by jaduncan at 11:01 AM on November 10, 2011
This is why you hire professionals like HB Gary Federal.
posted by benzenedream at 11:12 AM on November 10, 2011
posted by benzenedream at 11:12 AM on November 10, 2011
At times like these, our thoughts and prayers are with James Murdoch.
posted by Jehan at 11:29 AM on November 10, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Jehan at 11:29 AM on November 10, 2011 [5 favorites]
I bet EDF were disappointed that they went to such great lengths to have Greenpeace's hard drives scanned, but couldn't even find any good whale porn.
They probably also feel that the sentences are quite harsh, given they'll spend not much less time in prison for commissioning the hacking than they might have done for bombing Greenpeace's office and killing someone in it.
posted by reynir at 11:57 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
They probably also feel that the sentences are quite harsh, given they'll spend not much less time in prison for commissioning the hacking than they might have done for bombing Greenpeace's office and killing someone in it.
posted by reynir at 11:57 AM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
And the fact that the EDF have saved the world from the Ravagers numerous times wasn't even mentioned in their defence? Outrageous.
Oh wait, wrong EDF.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:12 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh wait, wrong EDF.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:12 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
France isn't some banana republic, you know.
No, jaduncan, France is a 1st-World nation whose government has a history of recklessly murdering Greenpeace members in acts of illegal sabotage, as reynire pointed out. What's your point again?
Of course, in America right-wing pundits would be praising the execs, and Republicans would be applauding their actions at presidential speeches.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:29 PM on November 10, 2011
No, jaduncan, France is a 1st-World nation whose government has a history of recklessly murdering Greenpeace members in acts of illegal sabotage, as reynire pointed out. What's your point again?
Of course, in America right-wing pundits would be praising the execs, and Republicans would be applauding their actions at presidential speeches.
posted by IAmBroom at 12:29 PM on November 10, 2011
No, jaduncan, France is a 1st-World nation whose government has a history of recklessly murdering Greenpeace members in acts of illegal sabotage, as reynire pointed out. What's your point again?
So clearly they would never think of prosecuting a firm who illegally gained access to Greenpeace computers. Why, the very idea is laughable!
Wait...what's this thread about again?
posted by yoink at 12:41 PM on November 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
So clearly they would never think of prosecuting a firm who illegally gained access to Greenpeace computers. Why, the very idea is laughable!
Wait...what's this thread about again?
posted by yoink at 12:41 PM on November 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
No, jaduncan, France is a 1st-World nation whose government has a history of recklessly murdering Greenpeace members in acts of illegal sabotage, as reynire pointed out. What's your point again?
That it has an independent judiciary, not hugely influenced by who is and is not popular. I'm not sure that conflating the French intelligence services with the judiciary is hugely productive in legal analysis.
posted by jaduncan at 12:51 PM on November 10, 2011
That it has an independent judiciary, not hugely influenced by who is and is not popular. I'm not sure that conflating the French intelligence services with the judiciary is hugely productive in legal analysis.
posted by jaduncan at 12:51 PM on November 10, 2011
Man, Floyd Landis can't buy a break. Poor dumb doped-up bastard.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:05 PM on November 10, 2011
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:05 PM on November 10, 2011
Man for a second there I thought Floyd Landis was the one who did the hacking. Somehow, the idea of a disgraced sportsman being a blackhat hacker is very attractive.
posted by atrazine at 3:45 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by atrazine at 3:45 PM on November 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Man for a second there I thought Floyd Landis was the one who did the hacking. Somehow, the idea of a disgraced sportsman being a blackhat hacker is very attractive.
posted by atrazine at 3:45 PM on November 10 [+] [!]
Include some roller blading hotness and I'd be sold!
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 4:01 PM on November 10, 2011
posted by atrazine at 3:45 PM on November 10 [+] [!]
Include some roller blading hotness and I'd be sold!
posted by Hello, I'm David McGahan at 4:01 PM on November 10, 2011
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posted by seanmpuckett at 10:11 AM on November 10, 2011 [13 favorites]