Sony threatens to sue Twitter over hack

Sony Pictures is warning Twitter to crack down on people who share documents and emails stolen in the massive hack on the Hollywood studio or else risk legal action.

In a letter on Monday, a lawyer for the beleaguered film studio demanded that Twitter suspend the accounts of people sharing documents stolen in the cyberattack.

{mosads}“If Twitter does not reply with this request… [Sony Pictures Entertainment] will have no choice but to hold Twitter responsible for any damage or loss arising from such use of dissemination by Twitter,” lawyer David Boies wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Motherboard and other outlets.

The studio specifically identifies a British man, Val Broeksmit, who has allegedly used his account to tweet dozens of images of hacked emails and other documents.

Earlier on Monday, for instance, the account tweeted a picture of an email showing that Sony paid comedian Kevin Hart $2 million to help publicize “The Equalizer” — an action film starring Denzel Washington — and another movie via Twitter.

A Twitter spokesman declined to comment on the letter but confirmed that the company received it and forwarded it along to the user. According to reports, Twitter sent the letter to Broeksmit and suggested he obtain legal aide. 

As of Tuesday morning, the account has not been suspended.

Twitter’s rules prohibit users from publishing private information such as someone else’s Social Security number or address as well as copyrighted information. It is unclear if images from the hacked emails would qualify under that policy or if Twitter has any legal responsibility to prevent the dissemination of the stolen documents. 

Monday’s letter is similar to an effort in recent days to prevent major news outlets from reporting on the contents of the studio’s hacked emails and other documents, which was also spearheaded by Boies.