Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] MPAA at it again.

[Marcus Leech]

Alfred A. Aburto Jr. wrote:

> Thank you ... but digitization in general is ok, right(?), just can't 
> do, ahem, "illegal digitization, of video signals"  ... the A/D would 
> detect "illegal digitization" and not allow it, right?  As long as it 
> didn't screw up the A/D processing and software required, this may be 
> ok I think ...

How does the A/D know what's "illegal".  It may, for example, be a 
device manufactured in the U.S., but currently doing
 analog-to-digital conversions in Rwanda.   Where, one hopes, this 
nonsense doesn't apply.  Even in the U.S., one might
 legitimately want to do "fair use" conversions from marked content.

It is not reasonable, in any sense, for an unrelated 3rd party to 
dictate what the technology that I *own* can and cannot
 be used for.  Period.

Imagine for a moment that that Ford motor company wanted to protect its 
"brand image", and somehow had technology
 that could prevent you from making out in the back seat of their cars, 
or driving down certain streets, or at certain
 times of day. Imagine that they really didn't want you modifying the 
leather seats in any way, or chroming certain
 engine parts, and they thought that they had technology that would 
accomplish this goal.  There would be outrage.

Using highly-fallible (and this ARDG nonsense is demonstrably 
highly-fallible) technology to assert social/political/legal
 control is just simply bad.  It will, ultimately, be the downfall of 
western technocracy.  Unless we stop it now.



--
Marcus Leech                            Mail:   Dept 1A12, M/S: 04352P16
Security Standards Advisor        Phone: (ESN) 393-9145  +1 613 763 9145
Strategic Standards
Nortel Networks                          address@hidden