ClickZ reports on the latest “Internet Users by Country” report from the Computer Industry Almanac, noting that the U.S. leads the world in broadband use, with 46.9 million subscribers. Note, though, that the U.S. ranks 15th when broadband use is ranked per capita (South Korea is number one).

Takeaway for marketers: Your fast site will work even faster for more people. That’s good news. But even though broadband penentration is increasing, you still need to resist the urge to engage in pointless Flashturbation.

I think it’s worth acknowledging that while it can certainly be seen as frantic backpedaling, Sony genuinely seems to be doing everything possible to not become the next Kryptonite case study.

Not only have they halted production of “rootkit CDs,” the ones in which their copy protection dumped software on users’ computers, they’ve launched what C|Net calls a “virtually unprecedented CD recall program” enabling customers to exchange their copy-protected CDs for new discs and MP3s.

Of course, the point is they shouldn’t have used rootkit technology on their CDs in the first place. But the good news is that once caught, they didn’t deny, deny, deny, and they’re making good to the public in a way not often seen in Big Corporate America.

Progress comes in small steps. I think this is one of those.

“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.”
—Mark Twain

… for a bout of acute pancreatitis.

Owtch.

Last week, I posted about Sony copy-protected CDs dumping malware-style software deep in the guts of your computer, and wondered whether they’d recognize that they stepped in it big time.

Evidently they did: Sony has announced that they’ve halted production of “rootkit CDs,” the ones in which their copy protection dumped software on users’ computers.