Hi Jessica, DRM stands for digital rights management. In other words, digital licencing strategies that restrict how media is distributed online and policies that govern how you access your data. DRM's usually take the form of security encryption that prevents you from making copies of digital files. Essentially, the licencer sells you the file and the right to use it in certain ways but not others. In order to enforce the policy you only receive access to the encryption key as long as you are operating within usage guidelines determined by the distributer. For example, you may only have the key for a set number of devices, usually 3 or 5. In this case, you may only have the key as long as the username and password for a major shopping conglomerant which you used to purchase rights remains active. Should your username and password be revoked for reasons not related to your use of the content... Well... too bad.
Early DRM's took the form of rootkits, major legal and personal security violations which essentially gave the distributers of digital content a level of access to end user computers that even the users themselves didn't have in order to control the number of copies made of digital material. Later DRM's were less threatening, but only worked on specigic types of equipment. IE, you could only use your purchases on windows. DRM's are fraught with accessibility concerns. For example, DRM's that prevent you from copying the text of an ebook you purchased also prevent the content from being exposed to a screen reader so that you can use it with speech and braille. Nowadays drm's are a lot more user friendly and less restrictive, which makes them even easier to break than the original flavours, and so of course, those with a bent for such things break the drm's on a regular basis, while those without such pentients have to spend hours on the phone recovering their keys when their authorized device falls in the toilet and dies. regardless of how you feel about the sharing of intelectual property online, it's very tough to make a case in favour of DRM's. Erik Burggraaf > On Feb 15, 2016, at 9:25 PM, Jessica Moss <[email protected]> wrote: > > What is drm, and what do you find wrong with it? I've heard that mentioned, > and think I found something with that extention when I used to transfer music > files onto my windows mobile phone, when I used to use one, but never opened > them. > On Feb 15, 2016, at 3:00 PM, erik burggraaf <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > >> May I suggest: >> http://www.downpour.com <http://www.downpour.com/> >> http://www.tantor.com <http://www.tantor.com/> >> http://www.booksinmotion.com <http://www.booksinmotion.com/> >> http://www.emusic.com/book-genres/audiobook/ >> <http://www.emusic.com/book-genres/audiobook/> >> >> Also, while I'm not a fan of physical media too much any more, many books >> that can't be purchased drm-free can be purchased as mp3 cd's. >> http://www.audiobookstand.com <http://www.audiobookstand.com/> >> >> I am eternally thankful that I never bought into a DRM of any kind. If any >> one knows of other places to get DRM free audiobooks, I'd love to hear >> about it. My list is sorted in order of frequency used. Emusic is at the >> bottom for two reasons. First, their smart phone app is only available in >> the US and the UK. Second, the smart phone app only supports music, not >> audiobooks. And finally, Emusic closed it's customer service call centre. >> So, I would avoid that one, but the other three are really really good. >> >> Best, >> >> Erik Burggraaf >> >> >>> On Feb 15, 2016, at 2:43 PM, Sabahattin Gucukoglu <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>> >>> Amazon have closed my brother's account because he was returning too many >>> articles to them. He'd apparently crossed some sacred threshold or >>> other--presumably one calculated to be the least profitable to Amazon--with >>> the result that he can no longer log in to his account. >>> >>> And you'll never guess what that means for his very handsome collection of >>> Audible books. >>> >>> Go on, take a guess. You'll probably get it first time ... >>> >>> The DRM on Audible content requires that any device obtain a key from >>> Amazon, after logging in to an account. Any device already possessing that >>> key can of course continue to download and play any content, but without >>> logging in, a new device cannot obtain the key. Amazon have made it very >>> clear to my brother that they have no intention of allowing him further >>> access to his account. So Amazon has put an effective end-of-life date on >>> all of my brother's Audible "Purchases"; as soon as he resets the devices, >>> sells and replaces them, etc, his Audible collection will be no more. >>> >>> I'd just like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that DRM is >>> thoroughly and fundamentally evil. It's wicked. It's corrupt. It's >>> iniquitous. And it's not about piracy at all, it's about control. You don't >>> own the things you "buy" if the content is locked with a key you don't have >>> and can't get. The true owner is simply parting you from your money with >>> the vague promise of letting you use the key, which they endeavour to keep >>> you from discovering, lest you use it in ways not approved by the >>> owner--for instance by unlocking your digital content permanently and thus >>> freeing yourself from the owner's grip--but which they will make available >>> to you while using software that they trust to protect their, and not your, >>> interests. And of course, the owner always has the option of not letting >>> you use your key at all, by telling the server not to give it to the >>> software. While your decryption key is in their hands, anything might >>> happen to your content, at any time, even if the owner promises to the >>> contrary. >>> >>> This racket is only possible because we give these content distributors the >>> money to enable it--to write the software that keeps the keys safe from >>> discovery while in your hands, to write laws that prohibit people from >>> breaking the software to access the content without use of that software, >>> and to criminalise perfectly legitimate uses of content that are >>> inconvenient for the bottom line, but that are recognised by copyright and >>> common sense as being reasonable and fair. I sincerely hope you take >>> something from this incident, as I surely do, with something like this so >>> close to home happening, and I hope you'll be willing to think carefully >>> about whose business practices you'll be willing to support if you have the >>> choice. I understand that we don't all have the choice to exercise all the >>> time, and that it's easy to make up excuses and pray that it never happens >>> to us. I'd say that this was particularly true for blind people and those >>> with other reading challenges, because the selection of material is already >>> very limited. Audible makes a fantastic, sometimes exclusive collection of >>> audiobooks available. >>> >>> But they, and any other DRM pedaler, simply cannot be trusted. I have made >>> it a habit never to value any protected content too highly, and I'm >>> gratified to see the truth in it, sad as I am for my brother's plight. For >>> your own sake, wherever possible, you should make arrangements to avoid >>> DRM. Try not to purchase anything you wouldn't keep from a DRM merchant. >>> You never know, it could be you this happens to, and you might be the next >>> person to own a handsome collection of strongly encrypted, utterly useless >>> files that you have no hope of playing, and who will be out of pocket for >>> the amount you "Bought" them for. >>> >>> -- >>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >>> Visionaries list. >>> >>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if >>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners >>> or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >>> >>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara >>> Quinn - you can reach Cara at [email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]> >>> >>> The archives for this list can be searched at: >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >>> <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to [email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries >>> <https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries>. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. >> >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >> Visionaries list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if >> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or >> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara >> Quinn - you can reach Cara at [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]> >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries >> <https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout >> <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. > > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor and your owner is Cara > Quinn - you can reach Cara at [email protected] > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries > <https://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries>. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout > <https://groups.google.com/d/optout>. -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. 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