Hollywood star George Clooney said fellow celebrities and industry figures did not want to sign a petition supporting 'The Interview' film featuring the assassination of Kim Jong-un as they were afraid of the consequences. Clooney said he wanted to see the film released online to undermine the threats of the hacking gang, who are believed to be supported by North Korean agents. And separately Sean Penn said he wanted the United Nations Security Council to take action, and warned that ISIS would be next to try to censor freedom of expression. Sony's computer systems were breached following a major hacking attack last month, which saw highly confidential material released as well as a string of embarrassing emails.
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George Clooney circulated a petition to support the film 'The Interview'
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He said Hollywood stars and studios were afraid of possible retribution
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Clooney said 'we cannot be told we can't see something by Kim Jong-un'
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The White House described the cyber attack as a 'national security issue'
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Newt Gingrich admitted that 'America has lost its first cyber-war'
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Sean Penn says 'Pandora's Box is open' and ISIS will follow example
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Penn wants the United Nations Security Council to intervene
He said: 'By effectively yielding to aggressive acts of cyber-terrorism by @placeholder, that decision sets a troubling precedent that will only empower and embolden bad actors to use cyber as an offensive weapon even more aggressively in the future.'