RE: CPRM

From: denis bider (denis.bider@globera.com)
Date: Wed Jan 24 2001 - 05:25:45 MST


Eugene Leitl wrote:

> Strangely, there are a lot of people who feel strongly
> about this, and they're ready to pay extra dollar for
> a device without a "Big Brother Inside" sticker.
> As long as there are alternatives, and as long as it's
> not globally outlawed there will be always alternatives.

My fears are the following:
 - That CPRM might actually be a very well designed technology. If it was
just a software layer over the operating system, sure, I can break it. But
if it's integrated in the computer itself, there's no way I can defeat it on
a budget.
 - That the masses will be indifferent enough not to mind if they buy a hard
disk and there's this weird "CPRM" thing mentioned in the fine print.

Suddenly, there will be *no* alternatives. And while we were looking away,
the scenery for content extortion has been set up.

There is this film called The Matrix, I'm sure some of you might have heard
of it [grin]. There's this Keanu Reeves that plays some bloke named Neo in
this film, and Keanu gets USD 30 million to do it. But that might still be
OK; I don't mind that.

Oh, but I forgot. There is also this producer who earns hundreds of millions
from the movie. Oh, and they produce hundreds of movies to earn hundreds of
millions from. But I could tolerate that, too.

What I *don't* particularly like is that these people don't realize that
they are already in an outrageously advantegous position, and now they even
want to *increase* their advantage. If this succeeds, I think it may lead to
a totalitarian regime (diguised as a democracy) with content-generators as
the new powers that be.

"Ave Imperator Case, morituri te salutant!"



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