HBO incident doesn’t make much sense

Motive not clear on why hackers would strike

Between hackers and trolls, it’s hard to decide which is more annoying online — but at the moment, we’re leaning toward hackers.

Earlier this week, hackers breached HBO’s security online, and stole 1.5 terabytes of data, including content linked to the popular show Game of Thrones, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Some of the data was then posted online, including unaired episodes of HBO programming, Entertainment Weekly reported.

HBO has tried to keep its programming under tight wraps, especially Game of Thrones. Such actions build suspense and help guarantee viewership, because people will watch the program to find out what happens next.

And as a fan, few things are more annoying than accidentally finding out what happens on a show before actually watching the show itself. To help with that, many media outlets now put spoiler alerts at the top of their stories so that people don’t accidentally read something they haven’t yet seen. It allows viewers to decide if they want to read it first, or see it on the screen first, which is a terrific service for fans.

Now, some outlets, in the wake of the leak, noted they would not share the leaked content, such as USA Today, which reported it would not reveal show spoilers revealed within leaked programming outlines.

One has to wonder what the motive is behind such a hack. Is there an attempt at financial gain? Is it pure curiosity? Is it just to prove a point — hacking something forbidden simply for the act of hacking? Is it for the “glory?” Is the hacker trying to be some sort of cyber Robin Hood, stealing subscription content to share with the masses?

Regardless of the reasons, hacking content and dropping it online is annoying — not to mention illegal and unethical.

There is one way to discourage future hackers, however. Ignore the hacked content online — don’t give the hackers the clicks. Maybe eventually, the hackers will get the message. And in the meantime, if you are an HBO fan, watch out for spoilers!

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