Re: [Fsuk-manchester] DRM proposed for HTML5 with BBC support

[Robert Burrell Donkin]

On Sun, Mar 17, 2013 at 10:30 AM, Michael Dorrington
<address@hidden> wrote:
> On 15/03/13 11:01, MJ Ray wrote:
>> Michael Dorrington <address@hidden>
>>> A post on LibrePlanet-discuss[1] has alerted us to an attempt that is
>>> under way to add DRM to HTML5.  The BBC is supporting this inclusion.
>>> [...] The FSF is going to campaign against the inclusion of
>>> DRM in HTML5.
>>>
>>> BBC supports attempt to sneak DRM into HTML5
>>> <://www.wired.co.uk/news/ahttprchive/2013-02/17/bbc-drm-w3c>
>>
>> How is FSF going to campaign and what can we do to support it?
>
> I don't know what the FSF are going to do, I expect it'll be like their
> other campaigns but I've asked on the LibrePlanet-discuss for more info.
> In the mean time people can support it by making others aware of what is
> happening.  For instance by making postings explaining it with those links.

I think there's a strong argument for a more nuanced approach...

In general, free implementations of a future encrypted media standard
may bring some potentially useful privacy applications - think, for
example, of being able to carry a key and a browser on a USB drive
that would allow you to safely unlock encrypted streaming content of
your kids or your friends from any computer whilst you're travelling
the world. Historically, closed cryptography has a very poor track
record. So an open, fully analysed protocol is likely to be more
credible and secure than proprietary alternatives.

So IMO the problem isn't a standard for encrypted media extensions but
that this one seems entangled with the toxic politics of DRM and the
unjust laws passed around it. For me, the key question is whether the
standard is going to be capable of implementation as free software
without the threat of legal action against developers, distributors or
users.

Robert