Apocolypse Now, Digital Rights Management 1.0

[Marxist ßastard]

If you don't know that DRM, TCPA, and Palladium are, this FAQ explains the situation quite nicely.

 

And, of course, what discussion of online rights wouldn't be complete without an obligatory Slashdot link?

 

Microsoft has released a patch for Windows 98 and up that installs Palladium 1.0, the current software end of the TCPA standard for Microsoft OSes. The patch can be obtained via Windows Update, and it is not marked as mandatory or critical. Miscrosoft's details on the update can be found here.

[Marxist ßastard]

Nobody else has an opinion on this?

 

I, for one, am mortified.

[Zmid]

It gives WAY, WAY, WAY too much control of YOUR PC to the likes of Microsoft, etc for my liking. It is a clear and total violation of your right to privacy and your right to have private information on your PC and I am totally incensed that any country, Britain, America or anywhere else, that dares to call itself free even considers not making this illegal. It seems pretty plain the only purpose of this is to allow Microsoft, etc to say to folk 'give us even more money to use our stuff, or we will cause you major problems'.

[Peregrine]

And now once again, we see how money is worth more than your freedoms. Its a complete destruction of property rights and privacy. And even if the idea itself is justifiable, the potential for abuse is just scary. Remote censorship, opportunity to hold your work hostage against your purchase of the newest upgrade. From what I know of this, Microsoft would get the ability to remotely erase anything they don't like. Write a paper criticizing them? Deleted. Have an unpopular view? Deleted. Don't want the $500 "upgrade" that's only purpose is changing the menu font and emptying your wallet? Say goodbye to all your years of work!

The sad thing is, if they actually put their full efforts into this, it will happen. The average pc user (businesses, people who want to write homework essays, etc) aren't going to know enough or care about it. And then the only hope is the courts, where its just a contest of who can pay for the better lawyers. We all know how good Microsoft is at getting away with breaking the law.

Of course one hope remains.... if the truth about this becomes widely known, or the worst case possibilities are true, say goodbye to Microsoft. If the courts don't get them, the competition will. How long would it take before "No TCPA" labels become what the windows logo is now? The competition is already there, and something like this will absolutely destroy anyone involved in it.

(my view: the minuite microsoft erases one bit of my property, comrade ak-47 and I are going to introduce them to 7.62mm justice!)

[Marxist ßastard]

Peregrine:

 

How long would it take before "No TCPA" labels become what the windows logo is now?

 

[AgainstTCPA.com]

 

In the USA there's a planed bill, the so called CBDPTA (Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act). First it was callen SSSCA (Security Systems Standards and Certification Act). The new name reads much more harmless. Looks like the first name made it too easy to discover the purpose of this bill.

 

This bill plans to legally force secure (TCPA-conform) systems. So in the USA it would then not be allowed to buy or sell systems that are not TCPA-conform. Passing this law would be punished with up to 5 years of prision and up to $500.000 fine. The same would apply for development of "open" software. Open means that it would work on systems that're not TCPA-conform.

 

Even if this bill would only valid in the USA it would have catastrophic effects worldwide. Because US companies are not allowed to develop and sell "unsecure" software, others would have to jump onto the TCP-train, so they would give total control over themself to the TCPA , or they would have to live completely without software and harware from US-companies. No Windows, Solaris, MacOS, Photoshop, Winamp or to say it short: The largest part of all software that's used on this planet would not be usable.

 

...Just for the sake of argument, is there anybody that sees it possible to take a pro-TCPA stance on this?

[Peregrine]

Not a chance that'll get passed. That's a suicide bill... if the voters find out, say goodbye to your reelection chances. And that's assuming the courts even let something like that stay for more than 10 min. Think about how many businesses would get hurt by that, and you've got a lawsuit that will kill anyone foolish enough to support tcpa.

[Marxist ßastard]

Well, voters are idiots. If someone makes them think that the new bill will make it so that viruses and trojans will simply cease to exist and they'll never have to pay late fees for video rentals again, they'll take to it like sheep...

[ThetaOrionis01]

I find it hard to believe that this kind of invasion of privacy could actually be legal anywhere outside a fascist dictatorship....

 

What's next - maybe they can remotely switch on your webcam to see if you're engaged in any un-American activities (such as watching a news channel other than FOX news :D ) or have a subversive haircut? Make you submit a DNA profile before you can log in? Make you take an oath of allegiance to Bill Gates before you're allowed to use any MS product?

 

 

<_<

[HeLLL]

Well Im running SuSE linux so I don't really care <well i do but it really doesn't apply to me>. I Feel soooo sorry for you Micro$oft users though. :rolleyes: :P

[Switch]

I find it hard to believe that this kind of invasion of privacy could actually be legal anywhere outside a fascist dictatorship....

 

What's next - maybe they can remotely switch on your webcam to see if you're engaged in any un-American activities (such as watching a news channel other than FOX news :D ) or have a subversive haircut? Make you submit a DNA profile before you can log in? Make you take an oath of allegiance to Bill Gates before you're allowed to use any MS product?

 

 

<_<

LOL. i wouldnt be surprised :rolleyes:

 

this is really unbelievable. how can it be legal?? its such a blatant invasion of privacy. now ya see THIS is why i never use automatic windows update...