Bonum Certa Men Certa

New Upcoming Series About DRM and TPM

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Jan 15, 2025,
updated Jan 15, 2025

Under the plasticised belly of Microsoft Windows there are heaps upon heaps of user-hostile routines* (which are sinister not just because they slow down the computer while taking up electricity or wasting invaluable, scarce battery life) and other - as in some more - such routines get added in situ over Windows Update, technically the world's largest botnet which can remotely add more back doors

We are in the process of preparing a new series detailing where we collectively stand when it comes to lock-downs and restrictions across a spectra of devices.

The term "devices" is intentionally broad as it can be as large as a car or even a tractor. Or as small as batteries and mice!

Subscribe, Forever

This series won't be about Windows and Microsoft. DRM and TPM (we won't expand those acronyms as they're intentionally misleading and they latch onto false marketing with nice-sounding words like "confidential") are a lot bigger than Microsoft, so Microsoft will be just one example of that (Apple will be another, as will Google**). What's most important here is the principles, set aside the brands (companies and products come and go).

Do not be gullible or naive. Equip yourself with better understanding of gadgets, knowing that companies successfully popularising them (e.g. iPhone) does not imply merit.

People use computers every day (not just Microsoft stuff; many regularly use Android or iOS, which physically and literally follow them). We try to educate but not preach people about what this means and how to defend themselves - an approach long embraced by security expert Dr. Andy Farnell from the Cyber Show (C|S).

DRM and TPM are not mutually exclusive as there are overlaps and the underlying goals are similar; in short, the user (of the device) is presumed an 'enemy' and treated accordingly. There is typically some third party controlling permissions remotely (e.g. DRM services/servers) and this party has financial and/or political motivations other than the user's or even opposite to the user's. This renders many devices a bit like 'enemies' of the person carrying them. How insulting a relationship. Of course this isn't openly advertised and users are not properly informed (if at all!) of what's going on at the finer levels, several levels deeper than the user interfaces.

Is it too late to correct or to undo the harm?

No.

Things have in many ways gotten worse, but for determined and eager individuals there's usually a way out - an alternative. Never say never. Become part of the change, the resistance, join the antagonists (to unjust power, which can corrupt absolutely).

We'll do our best to name and explain some of the alternatives that are still available. We believe divestment (rejection of hostile devices) will increase demand for more ethical options, manifesting more and more of those - at the very least so as to meet market demand.

_______

* Peter Gutmann cautioned about this almost 20 years ago, but much of his work is now offline, albeit archived [1, 2, 3]. And also, as it is related to this topic and still online: Windows Vista, HDCP and Digital Rights Management | Windows Vista Protected Media Path DRM already broken?

** Google, being a Net or Web giant, takes DRM to the level of object transmission online. It tries hard to impose this on everybody.

Other Recent Techrights' Posts

This is the Man Who's Attacking Linus Torvalds et al in "a Disease" (Social Control Media)
One thing that Richard M. Stallman and Torvalds can agree on is that Social Control Media should be avoided
Unlike GAFAM, Free Software Serves You, It Does Not Serve Governments and MElons (Overlapping Forces)
Tired of oligarchy controlling your life through gadgets and "apps"?
When It Comes to Social Control Media, Linus Torvalds is Channeling Techrights
GAFAM workers know exactly who to aim at
New EPO Paper: Promoting (Rewarding) People Who Grant Many Illegal European Patents to Make More Money (at Europeans' Expense) While Patent Courts in the EU Are Themselves Illegal
now the coup is sort of complete and even the "courts" are part of the corruption
Slopwatch: Carnival of LLM Slop and FUD Spewed by Bots, Pasted in by MaKenna Hensley and Day
Welcome to the Web in 2025. Articles about "Linux", "Security", and the Web (e.g. "Firefox") are fake.
Links 07/02/2025: Amazon’s Stock Collapses and US Government Being Dismantled (Still)
Links for the day
 
Links 08/02/2025: UK Back Doors and Religious Fundamentalists in Positions of Higher Power
Links for the day
Today's IBM (Red Hat) Isn't the Company That Fought a Microsoft-Sponsored SCO in Court
IBM is nowadays in a state of rapid disintegration
When You Simply Rebrand Almost Everything as "Hey Hi" ("AI"), "Hey Hi Workloads", "Hey Hi Datacentres" and Whatnot
The "growth" has been a growing lie for years if not decades
Microsoft Windows Falls to 12% in Myanmar
Remember that Microsoft is virtually 0% in mobile
Gemini Links 08/02/2025: "Thought Leaders" and Returns to Gemini Protocol
Links for the day
Links 08/02/2025: MElon Coup, Mass Layoffs at Facebook, and PlayStation Network Down
Links for the day
On Wars Against Founders
We need to insist that founders remain
Links 08/02/2025: News Corp Admits Traffic Declines, Wildlife Trafficking Tackled
Links for the day
Gemini Links 08/02/2025: Lamp and Notions
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, February 07, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, February 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/02/2025: Mid-level Details and Simple Code
Links for the day
Links 07/02/2025: US 'Demolition Crew', e-ID Loopholes, and Sanctions
Links for the day
Professor Eben Moglen on How Social Control Media Metabolises Humans and Constrains Freedom of Thought
Nothing of value would be lost if all these data-harvesting giants (profiling people) vanished overnight
Social Control Media is Narcissism
Nowadays there's a lot more literature and even press coverage explaining the harms of Social Control Media
Debian Left Twitter (MElon "X"), We Think the Free Software Foundation (FSF) Should Do the Same
What would the FSF really lose if it stopped posting there?
statCounter Sees GNU/Linux Share Doubling in China Over the Past Year
It'll be interesting to see what data in the coming months shows
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, February 06, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, February 06, 2025
Richard Stallman (RMS) Confirms Next Week's Talk in Europe
He gave at least 2 talks in Europe last month
Nationalism As A Service (NaaS) by Microsoft Azure, Gutting the US Government for Profit
Will Microsoft be receiving bailouts as a reward for all this?
Rumours of IBM Layoffs Apparently Confirmed Yesterday, IBM Canada Consulting Impacted (as Rumoured)
when IBM has layoffs we must also read it as Red Hat layoffs
Tons of Anti-Linux 'Articles' Published by Bots (LLMs), Maybe Microsoft's
Upon closer inspection, all this FUD turned out to be LLM garbage
Gemini Links 06/02/2025: Voicemail Sucks and Night of Lights
Links for the day
Ubuntu Desktop Director of Engineering Has Only One Blog Post. It Promotes Microsoft Windows.
Remember that even 15 years ago (more or less, maybe 16 years ago) Canonical appointed a a 'former' Microsoft manager (Spencer) to lead Ubuntu on the desktop
Links 06/02/2025: YouTube Takedowns Out of Control, 'DOGE' Breaking Laws
Links for the day
IBM Red Hat on "era of cloud computing", pushing "hey hi" (AI) hype in Microsoft Azure
LLM slop might actually be more benign than Microsoft promotion
Corruption and Rule-Breaking Prevail at the European Patent Office (EPO), Europe's Second-Largest Institution
The law does not really exist at the EPO; it can be perceived as merely a "recommendation"
statCounter: More Countries Where Windows is Around 1% "Market Share" (People Have Moved to Android/Linux)
in some nations Windows is already 1% or less
404 Media Says "Workers at NASA Told to Drop Everything to Scrub Mentions of Indigenous People, Women from Its Websites" But There's Also Accessibility in the Firing Line
In the case of abandoning accessibility, everyone stands to be hurt and proprietary software can be brought in to replace standards
When BetaNews Writes Real Articles About "Linux" They Promote Windows
The Web is in a bad state. We need to at least try to correct this.
Gemini Links 06/02/2025: Cynicism and "Real Magic on the C64"
Links for the day
Links 06/02/2025: New Sanctions, Layoffs, and Executive Orders
Links for the day
Distros and Desktop Environments, Devices
GNU/Linux focused
New Rumours of IBM Layoffs in 2025, IBM Consulting Still Struggles, Based on Management
"Hey hi" (AI) has been a common excuse for business failure
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, February 05, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, February 05, 2025