psufan used our newssubmit to tell us that television makers are intensifying a battle with Hollywood and broadcasters over new anti-piracy technologies.
They have told federal regulators they are backing a new copy-protection scheme that could bring jarring changes to the way consumers watch TV.
We've watched what happened in the music world . . . and we are determined to avoid that here," said Preston Padden, executive vice president of government relations for Walt Disney Co. But civil liberties groups and other critics say even FireWire is overkill and will erode individuals' home-recording rights. |
The technology gives program producers, rather than consumers, the power to decide what can and cannot be copied digitally, although VCRs using today's analog technology would still work. FireWire uses both electronic authentication and encryption to determine whether digital content should be transmitted from one device and can limit the number of times content can be copied.
To be sure, no technology is completely secure. But FireWire raises the bar for those seeking to copy protected material. Instead of just one secret encryption key that might easily be defeated, digital cable networks will have dynamic encryption that is different for every user. And publishers could use embedded digital "watermarks" and other hidden means of identifying those who try to gain access to protected material.
FireWire technology does "make it much more difficult for hackers," said Peter Mell, a computer security expert at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He added that watermarks are extremely difficult to find among the billions of electronic bits that constitute digital music, photos and videos.
"On the other hand," he said, "it only takes one intelligent hacker to break the scheme, and then all of the songs and movies are out on the Internet." Some lawmakers say that if such copy-protection schemes become widespread, they could erode long-held legal rights--such as privacy and the fair use of copyrighted material--that consumers have enjoyed.
Source: LatTimes.com
