“At the USENIX Security Conference held here recently, Microsoft developers touted the company’s upcoming Palladium architecture as technology that would enhance privacy, stymie piracy and increase a corporation’s control over its computers.” Read it at ZDNews.
MS Palladium: A Must or a Menace?
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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… for every other news site, every other technological idelogical group (e.g. FSF) and every other Slashdotter have to talk about something Microsoft haven’t fully unveiled yet!
I doubt it would really hinder freeloading warez downloading. What it would hinder would be fair use in software (which I agree with, BTW).
Suddenly, MS, who admitted security was never, ever designed into their products, are to be hailed as having THE security solution for all time?
Personally, I’d only trust computer companies that have a LONG , PROVEN track record of secure solutions… This is snake oil.
Palladium has its use in another incarnation on embedded systems such as those found in MILITARY systems.
NOT on the desktop.
and the Palladium developers need to reread the tcpa specification to get in line…
from what I read on the net, all it reminds me of is some utopic future as in 1984.
I think the problem with Palladium isn’t that MS could control our PCs. That would be preventet by some court decision or so. But I fear that some governments could gain control and abuse the system to infiltrate threir opponents, criminals, normal people, every one…
Basil
“….and increase a corporation’s control over its computers.”
Can I safely assume that the “Corporation” with the increased control will be Microsoft?
I think you mean DIStopian fye…1984 was far from a good view of teh future
I have strived to have a Microsoft free environment at the house. I am almost there. What I am worried about is not being able to use Linux on the Hardware because the encryption technology will be closed source and unable to be emulated.
If we take DRAM and all the anti-consumer things that are involved with it, what other purpose does Palladium? How does it benefit the end user? Or does it?
— Proponents scoff at such notions as conspiracy theory. “I have seen no signs that Microsoft and Intel are out to screw the world; and if they do screw the world, I think Congress will stop them,” said the University of Pennsylvania’s Farber. —
Microsoft has done it in the past, and they just got away with it big-time with the recent outcome of the anti-trust case. Now they think that they can do anything, and are noticing the recent improvements in Linux that may actually threaten the Desktop market. This is the perfact way to trip-up the open source community. If they have their way, Linux won’t run on new computers because Microsoft will not allow the Linux folks to have the keys to the computer!
Rajan asks ..
” Why must it be a must for every other news site, every other technological idelogical group (e.g. FSF) and every other Slashdotter have to talk about something Microsoft haven’t fully unveiled yet!
…What it would hinder would be fair use in software …”
that is a good enough reason for widespread coverage to me.
Microsoft is just doing what other people are thinking about. Protection of Digital Media and data is a natural outcome of applications like Kazaa and the now defunct Napster. If Microsoft didn’t do it, someone else will.
I have no problems if my company uses Palladium or similar technology; as far as what I use at home, I would use whatever is appropriate.
One thing: MS, like any other company would definitely not do something that would alienate the end users..not that I am a MS fanatic, but like euginia (its interesting to see that she has let posts that she would “shoot down like ducks”!) I am interested in viewing both sides of the issue.
A court will never favor the individual in America (or the rest of the cvilised world, for that matter). The courts will favor folowing cases:
A – Any case supporting,representing or defending the statist point of view.
B – Any large corporation.
Looking back at modern (last 200 or so years) will support this statement.
No, I’d say that the court will never favour the individual in America, overseas, it is a different story. For example, in New Zealand people hate large corporations with a zeal (and so do I), maybe it is due to our Scottish past? (me being a New Zealander (aka kiwi)) or plain hatred of people who give others the royal screw-job.
In the US, it is different. There are actually people who get happy when companies make larger profits, thinking it is the greatest thing next to slice bread! Just talk to people, they get excited when Microsoft’s profits increased! what the hecks up with that? most New Zealanders I have talked to would turn around and say, “how about making their products a little bloody cheaper!”.
Btw, Larry Ellison made a good choice by moving his family to the Bay of Islands (top of the North Island), it is a very nice place.
There is nothing wrong with large corporations. Everyone should be entitled to make money. The problem comes in when the large corporations are given free reign *BY THE GOVERNMENT* to demolish the *individual’s* rights (which is the case in every single country right now). In Europe it’s generaly even worse than in America. I’ll cite British Telecom as an example. In a system of laissez fair capitalism, companies like Microsoft, AT&T (in the past), ComEd (monopoly in the Chicago-land area), etc would not exists. It is purely through the government’s medling that corporations like Microsoft are able to exists. If the worlds governments revoked every single regulation,corporate welfare act and etc placed upon the capitalists, every single coercive monopoly (like MS) would fall withing 5 to 10 years. Because of this policy of the inafectual supporting the inafectual through government subsidies, large corporations like microsoft are trampling peoples basic rights. That is why the courts (government monopolies) will support the current breed of large corporations (lots of which are government subsidised monopolies) while they trample on the individual….
the mistrust and hatred of large corporations ENSURED that they do/didn’t receive uncontrolled, monopolistic power. For example, before Telecom New Zealand was privatised, there was the kiwi gold share agreement passed by parliament which ensured that, for example, there would be unmetred local calls, minimum standards for people who live in rural areas + a whole heap of other provisons.
Microsoft is a noble corporation that exists for the benefit of all mankind.
With their Palladial security we will be protected from the ravages of viral open source free software.
Our government will be better able to help protect us from the evils of unpatriotic thought processes. The iconoclasts will be cured by re-education programs.
Surely all you sceptics have noticed the quality of the crashes on MS Windows is much superior to those on open source computers.
It is such a wonderful technology that the concept must have originated from the fundamental orifice of the Great Leader himself.
Long live the Great Leader!
Cave Danos donnas ferentes!
sounds like a menace to me.. i don’t trust microsoft.
The government of USA has jurisidction only over America. Besides, if this is just a software TCPA with extra features like DRM (if you can call it a feature :-), I doubt the government can use it much.
Besides, the government needs a warrant to snoop around your PCs, and with the amount of bureacratic red tape flying around, you can rest assure that they won’t waste their time monitoring your porn stash.
Fair use in the digital world has never been there. Palladium only protects copyright-protected media. For geeks, Palladium may be a hurdle, but for consumers, it is “big deal, it is the same anyway”.
Unless Microsoft builds some major cluster, it is impossible to impose DRM on all the media. Meaning the music you downloaded using mIRC from some jerk named after some demonic/pagan/erotic thing would still work.
So in that case, I’m not all too concern. WHat consumers would see is a rise of Hollywood movies streaming off the Net. I doubt I would be part of this media revolution because a) I hardly watch movies, b) I don’t really have a fast connection.
The Palladium Project seeks to surpass the TCPA project in a number of features. However both projects are trying to control what programs and files can be used on the users machine. Initially this means that Multi-Media content can be streamed to the user with limited use. However it also means that the Palladium enabled OS can decide what applications are started on the machine. However this level of control is managed at the OS level and removing the offending OS solves the problem. If more people don’t move to OSS for this reason I will be very surprised. Unfortunately, removing the OS in question prevents the user from using any Palladium or TCPA locked services, which could be very bad if Banking institutions adopt Palladium or TCPA. Consequently I consider this a menace to fair use and interoperability. The situation worsens if the Palladium hardware requires all programs and files to be digitally signed by an accepted authority. Both Intel and AMD currently promise that the Palladium and TCPA features of the CPU can be disabled. However once adopted, how long before it is mandatory? If this ever happens, you can kiss compiling your own OS good bye, as the CPU will never recognize your ‘authority’ over theirs. This completely robs the user of any fair-use right they may have. MS really actually needs this tech for a couple of reasons. One, Hollywood and the RIAA want it really bad and are willing to pay a lot for it. Two, MS would like to protect their invested interest in the X-Box. For reasons that seem painfully obvious, Palladium would help them solve both matters.
TCPA and Palladium are a menace, point blank. Both project seek to control how I use the very hardware I purchase, which violates my fair-use rights and freedom of choice.
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a feisty little bugger arent you ;D j/k good sarcasms
rajan: Besides, the government needs a warrant to snoop around your PCs, and with the amount of bureacratic red tape flying around, you can rest assure that they won’t waste their time monitoring your porn stash.
You must not have heard of the Patriot Act or the upcoming Homeland Security Act (Republicans control Congress now, it’s just a matter of time). With all the idiotic post-9/11 rhetoric obtaining a warrant is about as hard as obtaining a pizza with extra pepperoni.
Anti-MSFT likes to talk about how TCPA/Palladium would be the big money maker for big brothers like MSFT and the media companies. Total non-sense if you just take a look at the numbers.
(1) only about 1/4 of the PC market is actually sold to individual consumers, the rest are sold to businesses. And businesses want to lower IT costs if they can lock down their computers.
(2) the US consumer electronics (CE) market in 2001 was only 93 billion dollars, that’s counting every TV’s, camcorders and DVD players. It’s a mature industry with little growth rate.
(3) the pc/console game business is bigger than hollywood’s movie business in terms of annual revenue. Growth rate much higher than the matured CE market.
(4) the B2B and B2C market was supposed to grow to HUNDREDS of billions of dollars. And the growth rate is much bigger than the fully matured CE market. It didn’t happen because nobody trusted the internet.
(5) Microsoft/IBM/HP (all TCPA backers) can make much bigger profits selling B2B/B2C software and consulting services than selling multi-media pc’s.
Kirk Jones:
“Can I safely assume that the “Corporation” with the increased control will be Microsoft?”
Hah hah you beat me to it 😀