Security quote of the week
[Posted April 11, 2012 by jake]
DRM is supposed to prevent piracy and illegal file sharing. In order to
provide DRM, you need at least $10,000 up front to cover software, server,
and administration fees, plus ongoing expenses associated with the
software. In other words, much bigger operating expenses than a small
business can afford. By requiring retailers to encrypt e-books with DRM,
big publishers are essentially banning indie retailers from the online
marketplace.
DRM is like the anti-theft sensors by the doors at the drugstore. The
sensors go off all the time, but they still can’t stop a crafty teenager
who knows how to remove a magnetic tag — nor can they stop criminals who
break in and steal directly from the till. Similarly, DRM prevents a lot of
legitimate, noncriminal usage while remaining unable to stop actual,
intentional piracy, or its crafty teenage equivalent: someone with internet
access and the ability to type “remove DRM” into Google.
--
Ruth Curry
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