On 1/19/14 3:25 PM, Rubén Martín wrote:
Thanks for the explanation David.
What's still not clear to me is why we have to implement this kind of
restriction technology into Firefox OS core. If it's needed for some
partners, why don't they just create an independent app for that?
It is not actually very deep into the core at all. The forward lock
implemenation is almost entirely inside an independent app, with only
minor changes to the Music app to handle locked songs. It is done
entirely in Gaia.
If we had left it to our partners to implement, I suspect they would
have tried to implement DRM primitives in gecko or gonk which would then
be available for more draconian DRM schemes.
By implementing the DRM app ourselves we were able to keep our user's
interests in mind in a way that I don't think we would have seen had the
partners done the implementation. The message on the bottom half of
this screen shot is one example:
https://bug905856.bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=805682
That message is displayed before the purchase is made. It is an attempt
to make sure the user knows the restrictions on the file. (And if you
are involved in localization, you can help fine tune the wording when it
is translated!)
I'm worried about this being an open door to other demands from partners
to restrict users.
This was a fairly special case about interoperability with a legacy
technology, so I don't think it sets any precedent for future DRM schemes.
DRM in any of its forms (even the quaint ones) is bad
for users, and it's against our values, we shouldn't facilitate it from
our side.
In this case, I believe that not implementing forward lock would have
been a deal breaker for our partners. Without it they would not have
launched a FirefoxOS phone. So the choice was between implementing
forward lock or not having any users at all in those markets. I was not
actually involved in the decision to do this, but it seems clear to me
that implementing forward lock so that users would have the choice of a
FirefoxOS phone was the right decision.
David
At least is how I see it after reading what OMA DRM FL is about.
Regards.
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