Summary: Microsoft and an ally want DRM in web standards

After Microsoft had infiltrated W3C [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Microsoft pushed DRM fonts and now there is this (also Microsoft proxy Netflix):

• DRM in HTML5

  A few days ago, a new proposal was put forward in the HTML Working Group (HTML WG) by Microsoft, Netflix, and Google to take DRM in HTML5 to the next stage of standardization at W3C. This triggered another uproar about the morality and ethics behind DRM and building it into the Web. There are good arguments about morality/ethics on both sides of the debate but ultimately, the HTML WG will decide whether or not to pursue the specification based on technical merit. I (@manusporny) am a member of the HTML WG. I was also the founder of a start-up that focused on building a legal, peer-to-peer, content distribution network for music and movies. It employed DRM much like the current DRM in HTML5 proposal. During the course of 8 years of technical development, we had talks with many of the major record labels. I have first-hand knowledge of the problem, and building a technical solution to address the problem.





• Truly Stupid Ideas: Adding DRM To HTML5

  This is the fundamental reason why DRM is doomed and should be discarded: the only people it annoys are the ones who have tried to support creators by acquiring legal copies. How stupid is that?

Microsoft infiltrators seeking to hijack the voice of FOSS (recent examples in [1, 2, 3]) are an equally disturbing problem, but let's not let Microsoft ruin the Web again. Microsoft is a ruthless, unethical company. Never trust its claims that it "changed". ⬆