I keep getting calls from someone at Sony asking for my social security number. What's that all about? In unrelated news, what could cause a 300-point drop in my credit score?

News Blips:

Sony’s security breach goes big time and draws government scrutiny from around the world. What started as an inconvenience to customers has turned into an international PR disaster for the Japanese hardware manufacturer. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and the U.K. Information Commissioner Office have contacted Sony asking for details about the data that was stolen by hackers. Sony could face legal ramifications if they withheld details that could have affected the security of their customers’ identity and information. There is no evidence of that, but regardless, it is pretty clear that they handled this series of events poorly. This whole debacle is going to end up in college-level business text books. Meanwhile, we’ve all learned a valuable lesson: If something bad happens to you or your company that could negatively affect your customers, tell them immediately.

Microsoft is alerting Xbox Live users to possible phishing attempts in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. For those of you not down with the cyber criminal culture, I can help you out. I've watched the movie Hackers more than a few times and my handle is CodeDancer. Phishing is a process that e-villains use to gain a person’s trust with the purpose of obtaining personal and sensitive data. The exact method wasn’t explained in the Microsoft's warning. One example is that in-game phishers could be impersonating Xbox Live or Infinity Ward personnel, and then claim that they need credit card info to confirm a user's identity. Needless to say -- not really 'cause I’m gonna say it -- never give your personal information to anyone online. 

Beyonce Knowles gets sued for dropping out of a game based on her life. Late last year, developer Gates Five LLC was working on Starpower: Beyonce, but in December -- after demanding an increase in compensation -- the bootylicious singer dropped out of the deal. After Knowles left the production, the developer was forced to lay off 70 employees. Now, the studio is looking to recoup capital they claim was lost in investment and potential revenues. Well, you know what Gates Five? If you liked it, then maybe you should’ve put a ring on it -- I’m just sayin’. [1UP]

TrackMania 2 closed beta coming this summer. The community-focused racing game will begin testing at some point in July. This marks the beginning of Ubisoft and developer Nadeo’s ManiaPlanet service. This will eventually include ShootMania and QuestMania, which will be a first-person shooter and role-playing game, respectively, built in the mold of TrackMania. I will probably give all of these games a try at some point under the names ShootDancer, QuestDancer, and TrackDancer. [GamePro]

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