The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has released a new fact sheet on TPMs. While explicitly not taking a position on TPMs, DRM or fair use, the Commissioner does identify some concerns with the privacy impact of the technology. In fact, the Commissioner opens the discussion by noting that:
The use of TPMs, however, can seriously affect the privacy rights of individuals, and by invading their privacy and reporting on their behaviour, impact other civil liberties such as freedom of association and freedom of expression. While rights holders have a perfectly legitimate view of the matter, it is also reasonable to expect them to enforce their rights only in a way which respects individual privacy rights.
The fact sheet proceeds to assess the privacy implications of TPMs with particular reference to the Sony rootkit case. She concludes by stating that "alternative, non-privacy invasive solutions do not appear to have been explored adequately, and this is what we must demand of DRM systems that are deployed in Canada." This is a welcome development as the Commissioner is an important voice on this issue who may help prod the government to factor privacy into the copyright reform mix.
No DRM
The quote “alternative, non-privacy invasive solutions do not appear to have been explored adequately, and this is what we must demand of DRM systems that are deployed in Canada.” is not satisfactory. Until DRM is abolished fully I will make a point to avoid buying DRM music discs (and download the non-DRM versions from the internet for free, perhaps some of the levy dollars can help subsidize these pro-DRM labels like Sony BMG and EMI.
DRM polices the private domain
The whole point of DRM is to police the use of the work in the recipient’s private domain. This is because copyright also prohibits infringement even within the private domain.
If you’re worried about violating privacy, perhaps you should first reform copyright to govern only the public domain and not also the private domain?
Then, perhaps, publishers wouldn’t attempt to encumber their works with privacy violating TPMs that attempted to enforce privacy violating copyright.
Or better still, you could abolish copyright.
what are distinguish between Digital Rights Management and Technical Protection Measures ?
tpm and drm
exactly i can not understand difference between drm and tpm tell me more if u can?