[extropy-chat] FWD (SK) RFC: copy protection report

BillK pharos at gmail.com
Sat Dec 3 22:54:08 UTC 2005


On 12/3/05, Eugen Leitl wrote:
>
> User authentication can be made mandatory to government smartcard ID
> (yes, Virginia, they're coming to a country near you), so that watermark
> can be tracked back to a particular warm body (a pretty unhappy warm
> body, soon, even if it's an unwitting dupe).
>
> Notice that individual system keys and content keyeing to such, and watermarking
> of said content is not yet in any use in a commercial system, to the
> best of my knowledge. You can be damn certain you will see this fielded
> in less than a decade, probably in half that.
>


Did you notice this news article?
<http://news.com.com/2061-10804_3-5884130.html>

FBI to get veto power over PC software?
September 27, 2005 11:37 AM PDT

The Federal Communications Commission thinks you have the right to use
software on your computer only if the FBI approves.

No, really. In an obscure "policy" document released around 9 p.m. ET
last Friday, the FCC announced this remarkable decision.

<http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-151A1.pdf>

According to the three-page document, to preserve the openness that
characterizes today's Internet, "consumers are entitled to run
applications and use services of their choice, subject to the needs of
law enforcement."  Read the last seven words again.

-----------------------

It may well happen that in a few years time the Supreme court will
decide that the FCC have exceeded their powers a trifle here.  But in
the meantime..........


BillK



More information about the extropy-chat mailing list