Sony launches sign-up page for free identity theft protection following network breach

By Adam Rosenberg May 26, 2011

debix-identity-theft-protection — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sony pledged after April’s network breach to provide affected customers with one year’s worth of free identity theft protection, a promise it is now making good on. An enrollment page has launched on the company’s website which offers a simple a simple, one-step process to get the ball rolling. Simply enter the e-mail address tied to your Sony account into the two text boxes on the page and click submit. Then, sometime in the 72 hours that follow, you should receive an e-mail containing an activation code for the AllClear ID PLUS protection plan from Debix. In addition to receiving alerts when suspicious activity relating to your online persona is detected, the plan also offers free identity theft insurance coverage and on-call assistance from fraud investigators.

Meanwhile, Sony continues to engage in an ongoing process of damage control following yesterday’s news of another network breach, this time on Sony Ericsson’s Canadian e-shop site. This has been ongoing since April 20, when the PlayStation Network, Qriocity and Sony Online Entertainment services were shut down for one month following a network breach. Attacks on various Sony properties have followed since then, with the Sony Ericsson Canada breach only being the latest.

This whole incident has become a truly difficult thing to watch. Whatever opinions you may have of Sony’s initial response to the April security fail, the situation has very quickly snowballed into a concentrated, sustained attack on a scale that far outweighs any perceived wrongdoing that might have inspired such an action in the first place. The first strike was bad enough, an unprecedented intrusion that exposed the personal data of more than 100 million users. The continuing assault simply adds insult to injury, a repeated slap in the face to Sony, which is struggling simultaneously to keep up and allay customer concerns about security in the future.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Computing

Save $150 on a lifetime license for Microsoft Office for PC

microsoft office professional 2021 deal stack social april 2024 bundle

For one of the cheapest Office deals today, check out Stack Social which currently has a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for just $70. The product normally costs $220 so you’re saving $150 off the regular price, all while gaining a lifetime license for some very useful software. If you’ve been considering getting Office and don’t want to deal with the ongoing nature of Office 365, this is a good opportunity to do so for less. Here’s what you need to know before you click the buy button.

Why you should buy Microsoft Office Professional 2021
If you’ve been reading up on whether to use Microsoft Word or Google Docs and you’ve settled on Word, snapping up Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is a great way to do so for less. Described as everything a pro needs, Microsoft Office Professional 2021 is pretty great.

Computing

Best Squarespace deals: Save on domains, web builder, and more

A laptop with Squarespace displayed on the screen.

Nowadays, everybody has a website, whether it's for personal stuff, to show off their online portfolio, or even to sell something. Of course, building a website isn't always easy, especially for those who aren't tech-savvy, but you'll be surprised at how easy it is to build a website with Squarespace, even for beginners. Luckily, there is currently a great sale going on at Squarespace to give you an extra nudge to grab yourself a subscription, with annual plans giving you up to 36% off, as well as a short-term 20% off sitewide with the code W4D20.

Besides just website building, there are a ton of perks of subscription, from hosting to email campaigns and even Squarespace Courses, which is pretty unique for a website-building website. So, if that sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, we've listed all the ways you can save on Squarespace subscriptions below.
Today’s best Squarespace deals

Deals

Microsoft Word free trial: Get a month of service for free

A person using MS Word.

It may not feel like it, but Microsoft Word is probably one of the most popular word processors out there, along with Google Docs, and pretty much everybody has likely used it at some point, regardless if you prefer Microsoft Office to Google Docs. Of course, if you want to get your hands on it these days, you're going to have to buy it as part of Microsoft Office, as opposed to getting it as a standalone product like you used to. While you do have to pay for the subscription, you can get Microsoft Word for a month using the free trial before it reverts to a paid subscription. Also, be sure to check out some of these useful Microsoft Words tricks and even how to run Microsoft Office on the Quest 3.
Is there a Microsoft Word free trial?

Microsoft Word is actually part of the company's wider Office app suite. Now known simply as Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office), Microsoft's enterprise software is available in a number of different packages that are now subscription-based; the company has retired the older bundles that were available for a one-time payment. That means if you want a Microsoft Word free trial, you'll need to sign up for the Microsoft 365 trial.