Sony Offers A Year Of Free Identity Protection
With all the drama surrounding the hacking and the pilfered accounts, it looks like Sony is trying to make PlayStation Network users feel more comfortable continuing to use their service by offering identity protection services through a company called Debix. The service is called AllClear ID PLUS, and will be available for all eligible PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders in the US who are concerned about identity theft.
AllClear ID PLUS delivers alerts to protect you from identity theft and provides identity theft insurance coverage and hands-on help from expert fraud investigators. Eligible customers are those who are US residents with active PSN accounts as of April 20, 2011. Sony has arranged for a free 12 months of the service to those who choose to enroll. If you're interested, you can click this link and submit your E-mail address (the same one you have registered with your PSN or Qriocity account) by June 28 by 11:59:59 PM CST, and you will be sent an AllClear ID PLUS activation code.
I'm not sure yet if I'm going to bother, but I appreciate the effort. It's a little sad that Sony feels the need to even do this in the first place, because I feel like they shouldn't have to. Their network should be secure enough that users shouldn't have to feel they need extra security on top of what Sony already provides. And it only lasts a year. After that, you'd presumably have to pay for it. And the Debix website doesn't list a PLUS for sale, but the PRO is similar, and costs $10 a month. I don't know if I'm going to sign up, but thought I'd pass along the info in case any of you did!
Wootini
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 25 May 2011
· Comments (5)
Other stuff like this: debix, free, hacking, identity protection, identity theft, playstation network, sony
What I want to know is, will this be a free trial that screws you with a bill if you don't cancel in before the year's up?
There was no definite compromise of encrypted credit card data, so just the ability to have the service as protection is far more than what most companies would do. They are trying to rectify their mistakes and that is respectable. The company will be better for acknowledging their faults, and provide better security overall.
Still no news on what they're doing for their EU customers then?
I'm guessing that this doesn't extend into Canada either.
this is not an "extra security on top of what Sony already provides". this is a protection plan for people who have their name, address and credit card numbers already stolen from PSN. so eventhough sony has beef up their network security, the damage has already been done so this more of a fix to the problem. for sony to offer everybody a 1 year free subscribion i think it is more than reasonible and i don't think people should have anything to complain about. but then of course, people always have something to complain about no matter what.