I'll post the rest of this piece from Bruce Schneier in its entirety
below, but in this part he mentions the threat to linux (et al) ...
The SSSCA attempts to push copy prevention to the output devices.
It makes it illegal to sell computers without industry-approved copy
prevention. It actually makes free and open operating systems (like
Linux) illegal if they refuse to implement copy protection. It
limits fair use, and basically puts the computer industry under the
control of the entertainment industry.
And the rest of it...
SSSCA
A few days before the World Trade Center Attacks, Sen. Hollings' office
released a draft bill that represents the next salvo in the digital
copyright wars. Called the SSSCA (Security Systems Standards and
Certification Act), it makes it a crime to build or sell any kind of
computer equipment that "does not include and utilize certified security
technologies" approved by the U.S. government.
Before going into how ridiculous this requirement really is, let's talk
about the situation that is leading the entertainment industry to these
desperate measures.
Digital files can be copied. Nothing anyone can say or do can change
that. If you have a bucket of bits, you can easily create an identical
bucket of bits and give it to me. You still have the bits, and now I have
the bits too. I have explained this in detail previously.
Software copy protection does not work. It doesn't work to prevent
software piracy. It does not work to prevent copying of digital music,
videos, etc. I have also explained this previously.
Copy prevention is easier, but still not foolproof, if you can extend the
prevention mechanism into the hardware. If there is a software decoder
that decrypts a digital movie when a user pays for it, he can always write
a tool to extract the digital video stream after it has been
decrypted. But if the decryption happens in the speakers and monitor, this
is a lot harder. This general rule explains why it is easier to hack a
software video player than a DVD machine. It's always possible to capture
the content from the output device -- re-record the audio from the
speakers, for example -- but it won't be a perfect digital copy.
The SSSCA attempts to push copy prevention to the output devices. It makes
it illegal to sell computers without industry-approved copy prevention. It
actually makes free and open operating systems (like Linux) illegal if they
refuse to implement copy protection. It limits fair use, and basically
puts the computer industry under the control of the entertainment industry.
It's insane.
I have long argued that the entertainment industry doesn't want people to
have computers. Computers give users too much capability, too much
flexibility, too much freedom. The entertainment industry wants users to
sit back and consume things. They are trying to turn a computer into an
Internet Entertainment Platform, along the lines of a television or
VCR. This bill is a large step in that direction. The entertainment
industry will use this bill to further erode fair use, free expression, and
security research.
Those who think I am being alarmist only need to look at the effects of the
DMCA. The entertainment industry (and the software companies that supply
it) has pushed that law as far as it can. It used the law to threaten a
computer-science professor in an effort to get a piece of research
squelched. It has used the law to arrest a foreign programmer visiting the
United States. It has used the law to prevent publication of a magazine
article. It has used the law to bully the computer industry and spread
fear, uncertainty, and doubt among researchers and companies. If you don't
think they'll use this new law to change the way the computer industry
operates, you're not paying attention to history.
One of the side-effects of September 11th is that Congress isn't worrying
too much about anything else. The SSSCA seems to have been shelved for
now. It's more important to be vigilant, though, as some might use the
nation's distraction to sneak the bill through the legislature.
Previous Crypto-Gram writings on protecting digital copyright:
<http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram-0108.html#7>
<http://www.counterpane.com/crypto-gram-0105.html#3>
Future History from Discover magazine:
<http://www.discover.com/feb_01/gthere.html?article=featnapster.html>
News about SSSCA:
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46655,00.html>
<http://216.110.42.179/docs/hollings.090701.html>
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,46671,00.html>
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/21830.html>
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7123464.html>
Opinion pieces:
<http://www.eff.org/IP/SSSCA/20010926_usacm_hollings_letter.html>
<http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/opinions/3813/1/>
<http://www.eff.org/alerts/20010921_eff_sssca_alert.html>
--
Rob <rob_at_euglug_dot_net>
my @euglugCode = qw(v+++ e--- eug+ bsd+++ gnu+ S+++);
