PlayStation 3 jailbreak: Sony hunts for IP addresses, usernames, comments, tweets, server logs

When Sony removed the ability for PlayStation 3 owners to install other OSes, the console lost a little of its shine as a play-thing for the Linux and hacking community.

Now Sony is going a step further, seeking details of those who viewed the web site of George Hotz, or downloaded particular tools allegedly allowing PlayStation 3 owners to "jailbreak" their console.

A court has reportedly given Sony permission to collect everything from IP addresses of those who visited the site in question, to those who watched or posted comments on a YouTube video about the hack, details of a Blogspot account owned by the alleged publisher of the jailbreak, as well as his tweets.

The request by Sony claims that the information will be to confirm which US state the case is relevant to.

In 2010, Sony managed to get a ban put on a PlayStation 3 mod chip - which allowed games from other regions, as well as illegally copied games to be run - from being distributed in Australia.