the new super-naughty disks

[miriam_e]

I've just been reading quite a lot of stuff about the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray disks that the big corporations will be bringing out soon. Amazing! I can't believe these sub-morons have learned so little from the whole DVD encryption thing.

It is just plain annoying how they are lying to customers by telling them they need these for HD programs, when we have had new free compression systems like XviD for a while now that easily fit high definition movies onto ordinary DVDs.

But what is really disturbing is that these nasty little blighters are intending to set your equipment up to self-destruct if it thinks you are doing something it doesn't like. I can see what will happen here -- we end up with a whole range of viruses that will trigger that one. What incredible fools!

And if you run an open operating system like Linux, or hope to one day, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray will of course not be usable from it.

Don't, for heavens sake, buy into the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray scam. It is a scam.

Read this: http://bluraysucks.com/boycott

Comments

Future Class Action?

[(Anonymous)]

Imagine it. The corporations change the authorisation codes to read HD-DVDs (due to some "piracy" scare) and suddenly millions of people find their hardware doesn't work anymore!

These people haven't been doing anything wrong - they've just been unlucky enough to buy the same HD-DVD/BluRay hardware platform as a high profile pirate.

Fancy a class action coming on then? (Remember in this new world you are guilty of copyright-theft until proven innocent!)

The corporations could find themselves forced to pay out huge sums.

MFG

Re: Future Class Action?

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

It would be good if they could be held accountable for such insane acts, but I doubt it.

I remember not long back the RIAA sent out letters threatening thousands of innocent people with legal action and it turned out to be a computer error. To my knowledge a case was never mounted against the RIAA for wrongful accusation.

Of course deliberately destroying a part of your computer is a whole other thing, but still... considering the lack of public interest in pursuing the mass letters of slander I kinda doubt anything much would happen.

Also it is widely known that the RIAA is responsible for putting malware on the file sharing networks. One moronic RIAA-funded US senator was proposing that they directly infect people's machines with viruses if suspected of sharing files. That was hushed, but considering how out-of-control these coke-damaged nut-cases are I would not be surprised if it went ahead. Of course their error with sending out legal threats shows how reliable such actions might be. And if you are one of the people who is hurt along the way, oh well... we already know they consider copyright is more important than human life.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/21/dmca_exemptions_controversy/

Re: Future Class Action?

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

It just occurred to me that the Sony rootkit has blown up badly in their faces, but nobody is looking to sue them. Heaven knows how many people are at risk from Sony music CDs (which provide a way of protecting viruses from detection), but nothing has really happened. Sony released an uninstaller, which has only limited effect and actually seems to leave your machine even more vulnerable than the original DRM code did. (Someone ought to make a musical comedy out of this.)

Imagine for a moment, if the situation was reversed.
Imagine that an individual created a program for sale to a giant corporation, like Sony. Now imagine if the little person's program had an infective rootkit included that "protected" their software but also accidentally made it possible for all manner of viruses and other malware to hide on the big corporation's machines. Does anybody think for one minute that the little person would not end up in jail, bankrupt, on terrorist charges, etc.? Why doesn't the reverse happen?

Giant corporations have no problems with being insanely nasty and we have become amazingly anaesthetised to it.

From http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/archive-112005.html#00000709

Sony, DRM, Rootkits, Bugs and You Posted by Antti @ 10:40 GMT

If you have the Sony DRM with the rootkit (aries.sys) still active, you should consider getting the update to remove the rootkit. Do this by using the standalone executable available here (http://updates.xcp-aurora.com/). There are already several malware variants that try to hide with the help of the Sony DRM cloaking.

After this you're left with the rest of the Sony DRM software, which might be vulnerable to local privilege escalation attacks reported by ISS X-Force (http://xforce.iss.net/xforce/alerts/id/208). To remove the DRM software entirely, you will have to wait for Sony to fix their uninstaller and carefully consider using the new version once it's released.

If you have already used the ActiveX uninstaller that was available until Sony stopped distributing it, you are vulnerable to a remote code execution attack (http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=927). You should remove the vulnerable ActiveX component. If you want, set a kill-bit for it (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/240797) (the CLSID is {4EA7C4C5-C5C0-4F5C-A008-8293505F71CC}) just to be sure.

Re: Future Class Action?

[(Anonymous)]

Several class actions against Sony are in the works. We haven't heard much lately because of how slowly the legal process can move. Expect more action before the end of 2006.

MFG