Make that 368,001

[mrs_sweetpeach]

According to BoingBoing, there are now 368,000 web pages containing the number the AACS Licensing Authority wants to keep secret. To quote Cory Doctorow, "Good luck getting the food coloring out of the swimming pool!"

Comments

[ladyinfidel.livejournal.com]

who? what?

[mrs-sweetpeach.livejournal.com]

Who's the 368,001th? That'd be me. After jebra told me that some enterprising person realized the 16-digit key could be represented by color codes and began selling t-shirts emblazoned with the resulting color-palette, it occurred to me that I could create a user icon that does the same thing.

The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, which will allow restricting access to and copying of the next generation of optical discs and DVDs. The AACS licensing authority has used legal threats against dozens of sites, promising retribution if the number isn't removed from their pages.

[mbumby.livejournal.com]

The Woot podcast is a hoot! Thanks.

[mrs-sweetpeach.livejournal.com]

Any time! :-)

[maddiec24.livejournal.com]

Um... huh?

[mrs-sweetpeach.livejournal.com]

Basically, the recording industry is using a 16-digit hexadecimal number as their encryption key to prevent authorized duplication and/or viewing of HD-DVD movies. If you know the number and know what to do with it, you can can get around the encryption. Therefore, the AACS has taken to threatening legal action against anyone who publishes the key. When sites such as Digg began removing many posts -- and terminating the accounts of some of its users for posting the key, users rebelled.

[silver-chipmunk.livejournal.com]

Erm... so I'm guessing that that's a code number which allows you to copy a HD-DVD?

[mrs-sweetpeach.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly!

What gets my goat is the attitude behind the security features. As my friend storm_lord has said many times, the solution to movie/music/software piracy is not encryption; but rather reducing prices to the point where illegal duplication is not worth the time or effort it would take.

It bothers me that the AACS is trying to ban discussion of their encryption methodologies, that they are claiming ownership of a 16-digit hexidecimal number, and that the speed and functionality of computer systems are being compromised in order to accomodate these "security" features.

And, just this morning, I read an article in the LA Times that talks about the Digg user revolt and Digg's decision to continue to remove links to pornography, hate speech and pirated software, but ignore postings that contain the key code. Alan E. Bell, executive vice president and chief technical officer for Paramount Pictures, does not see the difference between posting the key and posting pirated versions of Photoshop. To him, they are one and the same. To me, that's like saying all owners of handguns should be proactively charged with murder as what else is there to do with one but commit homicide?

In my case, I know the number -- but I don't have a clue regarding how to use it. And, even if I did know, that's no guarantee I actually would. I object to software theft on the grounds that software publishers and their employees deserve to be paid for their work. I object to the theft of music and other digital media on the same basis. I would, however, like to see the price of software, CDs and DVDs drop substantially. If I could buy, say, the entire season of a tv show for $10, or a music album for a couple of bucks, I would buy so much more. When offered a choice between purchasing over-priced media, bootlegging copies, or going without, my typical choice is to do without. Given the choice of buying reasonably priced media, going without, and bootlegging, I'll pick spending my money -- even when the disk contains material I'm only mildly interested in.