wildebeest's Profile

This looks like just one of the tips of the "trusted computing iceberg” for which the blissfully unaware global consumer titanic is heading (and vice versa). Check the website of computer security expert Ross Anderson. He gives a riveting underwater view of this iceberg and its true dimensions: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html For now it is still us citizens who are deciding if this trusted computing & digital rights management technology that is currently in the pipelines will find its way into our computers. Our foresight will allow the majority to decide which way we all will go. Where we put our money is what will make the difference. Those responsible know this. This is why well informed and critical citizens are a thorn in the side of those who would like to gain control of our computers, our data, of the internet and who knows what else. What can we do? We can act like free and responsible citizens. We can question information that is presented to us, we can research, we can inform other people, we can learn from each other and develop a sense of solidarity. Working with legitimately acquired hardware, software and media content, we can create alternatives now. For instance, a dual-boot installation including a Mac OS & Gentoo Linux or Yellow Dog might be a first step (if you want to try something besides Mac then check Suse Linux – it's really cool). Keeping old hardware in safe custody is also a good idea. Open source can work with manufacturers of clean hardware and can handle the intellectual property threat. Each one of us can create demand for clean hardware, open standards and open source. We are the people, we are the customers, we are the users, we are the internet! If a sufficient number of citizens develops a common consciousness then this will be the most powerful lobby imaginable. A lobby of citizens for citizens ensures that we all continue to be able and allowed to freely exchange ideas, opinions and information through the internet, and in general. LINKS Ross Anderson's Website at University Of Cambridge http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14 Wikipedia – Trusted Computing Group (TCG/TCPA) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_computing Wikipedia - Digital Rights Management http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management Against TCPA http://www.againsttcpa.com/index.shtml Trusted Computing Group – Official Website https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/home Trusted Computing Group – Current Members https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/about/members The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) http://www.anti-dmca.org Privacy International http://pi.gn.apc.org Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) http://www.eff.org SCO - Microsoft - Linux controversies http://www.answers.com/topic/sco-linux-controversies Groklaw – SCO lawsuits made understandable for non-lawyers http://www.groklaw.net Jul 2005: Why Bill Gates Wants 3,000 New Patents http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050731/ZNYT01/507310420/1001/BUSINESS Jul 2005: Intel to cut Linux out of the content market http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24638 Sep 2003: Sun Vice President – Open Standards Matter More http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/software/story/0,10801,84804,00.html?from=story_picks Mike Godwin, EFF: "I worry about my child and the Internet all the time, even though she's too young to have logged on yet. Here's what I worry about. I worry that 10 or 15 years from now, she will come to me and say 'Daddy, where were you when they took freedom of the press away from the Internet?'"