Skullphone's Clear Channel billboards not hax0r3d, actually pa1d for

That Skullphone billboard hack we saw yesterday had everyone at Engadget HQ pretty impressed with the corporate-pranking hijinks. Too bad it turns out that Skullphone is actually a phony (and total buster, we might add) who had to pay The Man (aka Clear Channel) cold hard cash to "glitch up" the digital billboards. According to Curbed LA (and our reliable tipsters / commenters), Skullphone paid the massive media conglomerate for one-day Los Angeles-wide ads -- there was no hacking involved at all. From now on, he should just leave the signage-goofing to the pros, or at least make it clear there's some money changing hands. Fool us once, shame on you... and... we won't get fooled again.

[Thanks, Dakota]

[jared Rada @ Mar 26th 2008 2:59PM]

disappointing.

[Mills @ Mar 26th 2008 3:27PM]

i dont think its that disappointing. in fact, i dont believe it!

think about it, its just like the government, they no longer tell people that they didnt see aliens, just that it wasnt aliens but something else.

its all about the misdirection.

clear channel is probably just saying that he really paid for it so they dont look like morons who couldnt secure their shizz from h4x0r5

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 26th 2008 3:40PM]

Are you kidding? How is that dissappointing?

This guy got WAY more advertising than he paid the 1 day fee for. It was viewed as a publicity stunt and posted on most major tech sites!

Kudos to this guy, even if he wasn't selling a damn thing.

[PhilxBefore @ Mar 26th 2008 3:45PM]

Correction: Looks like they do sell completely random items.

Great advertising scheme. It definitely was a success.

[Zak @ Mar 26th 2008 4:06PM]

@ Teetdogs: "are your just dumb?"

The irony is killing me.

[Loonie @ Mar 26th 2008 4:16PM]

@zak: "The irony is killing me."

...says the guy replying in the wrong thread.

[Blaktornado @ Mar 26th 2008 5:23PM]

Disappointing indeed. There goes my 2girls1cup dream =[

:P *see other article*

[AshR @ Mar 26th 2008 8:43PM]

it just appears that he wanted to get the brand out there, and it worked.... though in trying to say "oh look I hacked them" and then to find out it was paid advertising, must have cost a fortune.

look out for skull hoodies etc coming to a store near you....

[spacegravity4me @ Mar 26th 2008 11:04PM]

I don't know. In one way it is disappointing. Here I am thinking it's something akin to Banksy but with modern tools, when really it's an advertisement. It's still cool, but it would have been SO much cooler if it had been one man hacking the system, making modern-day graffiti on a digital sign. It would have been l33t x's3 but instead I just find it to be slightly intelligent and innovative.

[Gorillamonk @ Mar 27th 2008 9:37AM]

TIME TO TAR AND FEATHER

[retro77 @ Mar 26th 2008 2:59PM]

no way

[Matthew Hilario @ Mar 26th 2008 7:42PM]

ya wai!

where do i buy a skullphone.

[retro77 @ Mar 26th 2008 7:46PM]

@Matt: Maybe: http://shopskullphone.com/Scripts/

[Acerguy @ Mar 26th 2008 2:59PM]

but can it play doom?

[Teetdogs @ Mar 26th 2008 3:06PM]

Is that the only comment you know how to make. Or do you actually think it's funny? Or are your just dumb?

My guess is number 3

[Acerguy @ Mar 26th 2008 3:07PM]

I choose 4

[sonicwind @ Mar 26th 2008 3:12PM]

Yeah, what up man? are YOUR just dumb? Do you not know how to make grammatics and spell and stuff?

[Acerguy @ Mar 26th 2008 3:17PM]

I have failed the interweb.
I am the walrus.
I am going to put m ram in your C Drive.

[ozzzy @ Mar 26th 2008 3:33PM]

I'd hit it.

Anyone who bought his/her merchandise due to this ad should return or cancel their order.

Also, I realize that this is a blog and not a newspaper, but linking to another blog's article based on "a source" with no affiliation is not good journalism. Attempting to contact Clear Channel and Skullphone would be a positive step.

[Jordan @ Mar 26th 2008 4:03PM]

Cudos to doom!

[rv @ Mar 26th 2008 4:09PM]

On a side note, 7up sucks. I am drinking it now, it tastes like nothing. Choose sprite instead

[phanbouy @ Mar 26th 2008 5:07PM]

sprite is sugary rubbish. juice + sparkling water ftw

[Barbaric @ Mar 27th 2008 9:39AM]

yeah really...where'd you learn how to read? video games? "All your Doom are belong to us!"

[miyagi @ Mar 26th 2008 2:59PM]

That just killed his street cred :P

[Smart People Play Tuba @ Mar 26th 2008 3:54PM]

I wonder how much he had to pay Clear Channel to kill his own cred. You know CC wouldn't go along unless it was a butt-load of cash.

Unless Mills is right and it's disinformation.

[OneLove @ Mar 26th 2008 3:00PM]

...and I bought stocks with that tip!

[thirty6chambers @ Mar 26th 2008 3:01PM]

this is as bad as avril lavigne being "punk".

[sonicwind @ Mar 26th 2008 3:11PM]

common misconception, Avril is a punk, but she is not punk.

[Jonny @ Mar 26th 2008 4:01PM]

and a hot non-punk

[Jordan @ Mar 26th 2008 4:04PM]

Tasty

[OneLove @ Mar 26th 2008 6:50PM]

gimme a slice

[Taylor @ Mar 26th 2008 7:50PM]

Yeah... that makes me sad. Hell, i have a huge mohawk and listen to punk, and i STILL don't consider myself punk, because, well, i'm not. I like the music, and i have the hair, but there's a lot more to being punk than that, and Avril doesn't have any of it! :(
-Taylor

[Shane @ Mar 26th 2008 3:07PM]

I somewhat suspected as much. The CC WAN (although large) is fairly secure. I don't even believe they have the billboard network directly connected to the WAN.

[alexmueller @ Mar 26th 2008 3:08PM]

I never thought I'd say this but I can't trust Skullphone anymore... sniff

for shame

[Khris @ Mar 26th 2008 3:09PM]

My point from the previous story remains valid.

BEST HACK EVER = Clear Channel billboards hacked to display Sirius and XM logos.

Sadly, it will probably never see the light of day.

[mac @ Mar 26th 2008 3:11PM]

You could try paying to get it up there, but I have a feeling they wouldn't let you.

[sonicwind @ Mar 26th 2008 3:09PM]

what was the motivation for paying for it? I'm curious if this might not have been a real hack that's being covered up to inhibit other people from attempting the same thing.

[andres @ Mar 26th 2008 11:53PM]

advertisement

[Khris @ Mar 26th 2008 3:10PM]

4 - Acerguy is a totally useless twat who laughs at his own jokes thinking they're funny.

I would have to choose number 4 too.

[retro77 @ Mar 26th 2008 5:00PM]

phail

[AdamY @ Mar 26th 2008 3:14PM]

Mr. Block,

Perhaps I could entice you to investigate a little further and see if we can get an estimate on how much it cost SkullPhone(y) for this backfiring PR-move?

I'm just dying to know how much it cost to try and artificially inflate market perception. There's a clever Mastercard parody that ends with "Getting busted and Plastered all over Engadget: Priceless"

~A

[holycow @ Mar 26th 2008 3:18PM]

hey they got some publicity... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

[Clark H. @ Mar 26th 2008 3:19PM]

damn rich gangsters. >_

[Grant @ Mar 26th 2008 3:28PM]

you have to realize that clear channel could just be using some quick action PR to try and stop an on onslaught of people trying to hack their billboards now.

i mean if a security breach was pointed out in one of your products to the entire internet, wouldn't you go run some damage control?

until the validity of this "source" can prove anything, i wouldn't take this as more than a PR move.

[daemonios @ Mar 26th 2008 3:30PM]

What the...? What's with the disappointment?!?! I think it's a brilliant joke hehehe. He DID get his graffiti on those panels. And all of us talking about it.

Come on, the guy's a street artist, NOT a hax0r. If he were trying to pass off as one I'd agree that this prank wouldn't do much good for his credibility, but as it is... I'm thinking GTA IV-style invading enemy gang turf with my tags on every screen visible from the street [^_^]

[Phil @ Mar 26th 2008 3:33PM]

Umm... Am I the only one who thought of this or do you think that ClearChannel is just saying they paid for it so every thinks they didn't get hacked? Hmmm...

[Brodie @ Mar 26th 2008 3:39PM]

No... you're not the only one. Some 20 people ahead of you already said the same thing. Thanks for showing up late to the party...

[Phil @ Mar 26th 2008 4:19PM]

Oh sorry, Should refresh the page before I comment. Had this opened in my last tab of my RSS reader. Sorry :)

[retro77 @ Mar 26th 2008 5:01PM]

grats

[Jeremy @ Mar 26th 2008 3:42PM]

I love how you're calling this guy is a "buster" yet he completely fooled you, a purported journalist, as to the real truth. What exactly does that make you?