Thursday, 27 June, 2002

Microsoft’s Palladium is the latest proposal in digital rights management. As an author, I welcome the ability to control the distribution of my document, but as a consumer, I am strongly opposed to anything that will restrict my ability to copy, merge, mix or modify software, paper, tape, CDs or bits. This is an infringement on my ability to do my job. “Personal use” is a principle and not a Constitutional Right, and it is being eroded at an alarming rate. Palladium is a heavy metal poison, a carcinogin, an element, the name of many theaters, a role-playing game and the protective statue that guarded Troy. Microsoft protected Trojans? It does make you wonder. Read more about Palladium here:

Stephen Levy writes for MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/news/770511.asp

Slashdot goes crazy: http://slashdot.org/articles/02/06/27/125227.shtml?tid=109

More follow-up (cross-links from Slashdot):

• http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14/tcpa-faq.html
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51780-2002Jun26.html
• http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20020627.html