Alicia Keys’ Album Release Meets MySpace Hack
Today is the official release of Alicia Keys As I Am, and I must say that the camp behind her at J Records had a mean widget game leading up to this day.
The widget includes news updates, video clips of Alicia in the studio, and videos uploaded by fans.
The widget comes with instructions for adding it to your favorite social networks — either your facebook or MySpace account.
But this post today isn’t really about Keys’ record release or J Records’ widget game. It’s a lot more about the vulnerability and security risks encountered with social networking, particularly as it relates to Alicia Keys.
This YouTube video reveals how the MySpace page of Alicia Keys (along with Greements of Fortune, a French funk band, and Dykeenies, a rock band from Glasgow) was hacked on November 8, just five days before her record release. [Shout outs to MML for the tip.]
What this hack reveals is that:
…MySpace is suffering from the major drawback to any practical, open platform for the masses. “Security and functionality exist in an inverse relationship,” he said. “The more functional you make anything, the less secure it tends to become.” [The New York Times Bits Blog]
Takeaway: All that Web 2.0 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Well at least MySpace isn’t. Of course the hack won’t affect Keys’ record sales, but it makes for a great headline (innit)?
