Matthew Rothmeyer

Digital Rights Management (DRM) “ A class of technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders, and individuals with the intent to control the use of digital content and devices after sale ” – wikipedia The goal : to control Executing – listening, watching, playing Copying – making duplicates of a work Altering – modding, bypassing, editing

Types of DRM Restrictive licensing: without a software key or license the purchased property will not function Serial keys Software license Activation Embedded Technology Encrypting data Requiring a USB key

DRM Technologies Limited activations : a certain number of installs Constant Online Authentication Changing Functionality Mostly videogames, makes the game annoying or unplayable Media Encryption – requires special technologies in video and music devices to decrypt and play Cable Card – Restricts unsubscribed content Watermarks – usually images or video

DRM: Controversy Proponents argue it protects Just as a lock guards your house, DRM guards intellectual property. Without DRM, innovation will cease because it won’t be profitable Opposition argue it doesn’t work Inconveniences users Violates private property rights in some cases Stifles competition Can make purchases inaccessible if a DRM service is discontinued Causes hardware to become artificially obsolete Increases waste

DRM: Legitimacy Issues What is and is not legal is often obscured and made confusing by DRM It is legal to copy music, but DRM prohibits this Services often try to obscure restrictions Not telling you that your music is inaccessible without their software or subscription DRM solutions are often circumvented Millions pirate software and music DRM is often simple to circumvent

DRM-free solutions Make downloading simple and cheap People are lazy Pre-order or Pre-Funding Kickstarter Cloud based media A user never actually has the data Ex : spotify Artistic Freedom Voucher Consumers get tax credit for paying artists That artist can’t copyright the work for a limited time

What would good DRM look like? Should not be invasive Should not penalize legitimate users by making their lives more difficult Should allow users to do what they wish In most cases Should only protect copyright Should not force users onto a specific platform Should have a plan for when a service is discontinued

Sandbox : Security Separates running programs Often used as a security mechanism Programs are only allowed to access portions of memory available to them and no others Access to devices such as a network card can also be restricted Allows to safely test programs from an unverified origin Specify rights or access on a program by program basis

Sandbox : Development Creates an isolated development environment Often gives a user more control over the environment Allows rapid testing of software across several mediums, which are often emulated Allows users to change code without harming production servers or data

Sandbox : Types of Sandboxes Virtual Machine Emulates an entire system or OS Allows running of legacy code OS can only access resources of the system through the virtualization software Allows for testing, both in software and security Example : Virtual Box

Sandbox : Types of Sandboxes Operating System Sandboxing Allows sandboxing on a program by program basis Users do not need to run all programs in the sandbox Often the sandbox itself is a program that manages other programs Example : Sandboxie

Sandbox : Types of Sandboxes DRM Sandbox Prevents interaction with a program from the outside Sandbox only allows certain system calls to access memory relating to the software Sometimes called a player

Player A piece of software or hardware that allows access to a service or media Somewhat like DRM Prohibits a user from making requests of the software or hardware outside what is accepted Enforces a set of rules for what someone can do with the software Copying, executing, ect

Player : Example Steam/Origin Allows users to purchase games and other media Allows users to play games and interact with the gaming community Prevents copying and using software without purchase Games authenticate with the player Authentication need not be online