16 CommentsIn case you don’t regularly frequent the world of tech-geekery, pay a visit: there’s some crazy shit going down in freedom-of-informationland. Bwog freelancer Kate Redburn summarizes.
It seems Columbia students aren’t the only ones having trouble with copyright law.
Yesterday, there was an internet revolution on Digg.com, the popular website-rating site, over the “digging” of an HD-DVD decryption key (see BBC coverage here). The 32-character key–now the subject of its own facebook group–allows unauthorized access to DVD content, and Digg complied with a request to take down the popular post. They also deleted several accounts which had posted the key. However, the users overrode the site’s administrators, continuing to angrily post the key. The site finally capitulated. In a post to the Digg blog, co-founder Kevin Rose wrote:
“But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be. If we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying.”
So far, the Digg community has won. The main page is covered with key pages, and articles related to the incident. Will May 1st be known for something else from now on?
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16 Comments
@omgwtfbbq 09-F9-11-02-9D-74-E3-5B-D8-41-56-C5-63-56-88-C0
@exactly well, you answered your own question there. If musicians and actors are wealthy (though people’s perceptions of it are greatly exaggerated), it’s because people are willing to pay them for the music.
@The price of goods is only what the consumer is willing to pay. Never before have musicians and actors been so extravagantly rich. Can we truly say that today’s work is hyper-exponentially better than world-renowned, timeless classics? I think not. Therefore, I cannot fathom why artists ought to be so incredibly and disproportionately compensated for throw-away work which hardly survives 6 months before being replaced by equal-quality crap.
SKEET SKEET SKEET MUTHAFUCKA SKEET SKEET SKEET GOT DAM! …multimillion dollar work right there.
@ohh so that’s why those numbers kept popping up in the comments section… I think.
@Hi there, Kate. Great article!
– Alex & Sam.
@Ogre nerds. Nerds. NErds. NERds. NERDs. NERDS. NEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDSSSSS!!!!!!!
@apropos of nothing hex09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0
@is that it? what is that?
@oh also the average computer user cant really do anything with said code from what i understand. it takes at least a vertain level of tech-nerd to actually be able to make use of the codes
(but if you have nerdy friends they can probably hook you up)
@the code allows you basically completely unfettered access to previously encrypted bulray/HD dvds
this means the studios bitch more because now people can pirate more easily more content
i mean, with the current state of the law the studios are entirely justified in bitching. but the law is sort of unrealistic for the modern era. thats my problem with all the groups who say the mpaa and studios are the devil…theyre acting within the bounds of the law. what you need to do is get the law changed, not whine about columbia following the law and the studios lobbying the government. you have to lobby harder is all. thats how this country works.
@retarded what do you use that code for? wtf are all these people talking about?
@yeah I don’t understand why this is such a big deal… The DVD encryption scheme was cracked and nobody really made a big fuss. Did they expect it to stay a secret forever?
@cu libertarian Go libertarianism!
@Haha Libertarians are either hilarious gun nuts or they may as well call themselves the party of “Conservatives who smoke pot.”
@mark rudd the revolution will, in fact, be digitized.
but keep making cardboard signs, protest groups. that’ll change the world.
@Mike When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to…FIGHT! FOR YOUR RIGHT! TO PAAAAAAAAAAARTAY!