FITUG e.V.

Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft

EFF's Gilmore calls for CPRM hardware boycott

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/15686.html

By: Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco

Posted: 26/12/2000 at 09:35 GMT

John Gilmore, co-founder of the Electronic Freedom Foundation, has urged users to boycott hardware containing CPRM copy-control mechanisms. Last week we broke a story of moves to build CPRM (Copyright Protection for Recordable Media) cryptography into the industry standard ATA hard disk specification. If implemented, the initiative could rapidly end the use of the PC and new emerging devices for freely exchanging audio, video and information.

Users, says Gilmore, should demand a policy declaration from vendors that they eschew "covertly controlled hardware", and only buy products that are truly open, he argues in a post to the C2 crypto mailing list.

"No copy protection should exist ANYWHERE in generic computer hardware! It's up to the BUYER to determine what to use their product for," writes Gilmore. "It's not up to the vendors of generic hardware, and certainly not up to a record company that's shadily influencing those vendors in back-room meetings."

Gilmore says moves are also taking place to build copy-control into monitors ... BIOSes and the operating systems. Some of these we've heard of but, not all - but if you have then get in touch.

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