Re: DRM and freedom

[Jonas Hartmann]

Hi and Hello Marcus, 

I am a long time lurker :-) (once looked into some OSes and found L4),

At least about this topic I can share my view. This discussion reminds me of the book 
"The Physicians" (Die Physiker) somehow. If we think about security, about 
structuring data models so that there is a pattern the user can understand and work with, 
without fear, with trust, then this basic security model can be abused by closed software 
makers especially to hide data from the user at all if they want to.

There are two key thoughts for me:
- If you want to stop DRM-friends from using such technology you should not 
develop such technology at all :-(
- If you open up your ideas on security to the public, force ideas into freedom 
by using GPL and GPL-like liscenses for thoughts, ideas, software, maybe even 
patent ideas into a public organisation where those things are kept in savety 
from the malformed stupid patent-logic, then you give users and developers the 
chance to build secure systems that do not use DRM.

Marcus Brinkmann wrote:
> So, we have three issues here
...
> * The technology question if DRM and privacy are inseparable or not.
> * The strategic question if it makes a difference if we have a structure that
>   makes implementing DRM easier.
> * The political question, which is how much privacy we want.
My point is: we want as much privacy as we can get. There are always forces who 
want observation, be it administrations of nations, single companies or big 
trusts. More privacy protects free speech and free exchange of thoughts in 
critical situations.

> The hardest is a balance between the second and third point.
I don't think you should ballance there. When I was looking for my "perfect OS" 
as a user I once read an L4 paper on security, I think by the L3 creator. All we need, I 
think, is a strong law enforcement on FREE knowledge (software).

(sry for my bad english :-()