The tweets came from one of Sony’s official accounts on Twitter (@SonyMusicGlobal), although the entertainment giant has indicated that its account became “compromised”, inferring that its network had been hacked into. The media and electronics group has also stated that the situation “has been rectified” and that it has regained control of its social media communications. The offending tweets have been deleted.
According to the BBC, as well as a direct apology to Britney Spears, Sony has also said it “apologies to Britney Spears and her fans for any confusion”. It is understood that Britney Spears has not directly responded to the tweet. However, her management agency (via Adam Leber) has also reassured fans that she is alive and in good health.
Sony’s was not the only account to be hacked as part of the hoax. The official Twitter account of Bob Dylan was also hacked, Hollywood Reporter states, with the following tweet being sent: “Rest in peace @britneyspears.” This was sent less than a minute after the fake Sony message (too fast for it have been from Bob Dylan, even supposing Dylan would send such a tweet).
The BBC adds that the hack seems to be the result of a group OurMine. OurMine Security Group is a hacker group. The group uses hacks of celebrity internet accounts to advertise their commercial services. OurMine recently hacked into the official Marvel and NFL Twitter accounts.
According to Economic Times, Sony has tweeted: “”We saw a new IP logged in to the account a few minutes ago and the tweet is posted by a new IP so @britneyspears is still alive #OurMine”.
