[ltp] TCPA on Thinkpads
iriXx
linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org
Thu, 20 Mar 2003 09:17:23 +0000
actually it WILL undermine the GPL. it doesnt take much intelligence to
figure that out. RMS has outlined this in his essay on Treacherous
Computing, (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=5858) describing how it
will become illegal for Free Software developers to reverse engineer
protocols and/or TCPA keys for compatibility between GNU/Linux and
Microsoft systems - if you enjoy using WINE to play Unreal Tournament,
you can forget it under TCPA. TCPA and the DMCA are inextricably linked
- one was designed to operate within the other:
"Today we must figure out the secrets of Word format by laborious
experiments in order to make free word processors read Word documents.
If Word encrypts documents using treacherous computing when saving them,
the free software community won't have a chance of developing software
to read them -- and if we could, such programs might even be forbidden
by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act."
dont forget that the main purpose of TCPA is copy-controlling, not
'authentication'. it was designed to appease Hollywood, who are afraid
of the capacity for copying in broadband consumer access and faster
computing technologies.
MS have already said that Office 2003 will use Information Rights
Management - i.e. DRM - precisely the sort of parameters that TCPA
architectures will offer. in an article in last weeks Computing magazine
MS admitted that this would render IRM documents illegible to users of
earlier versions of Office (forcing upgrades) - never mind users of WINE
or OpenOffice.org. dont forget this is a protection mechanism, so under
the DMCA - or even under less harsh laws such as the CDPA 1988 in the
UK, it is illegal to circumvent it. in the case of your TCPA chips in
the thinkpad, you'll find that it is now illegal for you to code
GNU/Linux drivers for them if you live in the USA, because TCPA
qualifies as a TPM - Technical Protection Mechanism. in Europe it is
still somewhat of a grey area thanks to the interoperability clauses in
the Software Directive of 1991, which might even render the EUCD illegal
under European law, as this has been overlooked in its drafting.
of course you can choose not to switch on your TCPA chips, which is
likely to mean that you wont be able to connect to 'Web Services' or
read an increasing majority of documents created on Wintel platforms.
i'm really quite shocked at the lack of awareness here, given that its a
GNU/Linux oriented list. this is going to affect us all, its a direct
attempt to get rid of Free/Open Source software, which is perceived as a
huge threat to proprietary development.
m~
Allen, Michael B (RSCH) wrote:
> Well educated but apparently still irresponsible. Here's a question
> from this so called "FAQ":
>
> 18. Ugh. What else?
> TCPA will undermine the General Public License (GPL), under
> which many free and ...
>
> Looks like a opinionated rant disguised to be an fact based unbiased
> informational document. That's just irresponsible.
>
> Mike
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: iriXx [SMTP:dev_null@iriXx.org]
>>Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 7:12 PM
>>To: linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org
>>Subject: Re: [ltp] TCPA on Thinkpads
>>
>>i would think as the UK's leading cryptologist, Cambridge professor Ross
>>Anderson is already pretty well educated...
>>
>>Allen, Michael B (RSCH) wrote:
>>
>>>That page should be renamed tcpa-fud.html. Hardware supported key management
>>>is a natrual progression in computing and one that I welcome. Do not confuse
>>>TCPA (Trusted Computing Platform Alliance) with CBDTPA (Consumer Broadband
>>>and Digital Television Promotion Act). They are conceptually two completely
>>>different things. Get educated. Don't run with the herd.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: iriXx [SMTP:dev_null@iriXx.org]
>>>>Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 5:07 PM
>>>>To: linux-thinkpad@linux-thinkpad.org
>>>>Subject: Re: [ltp] TCPA on Thinkpads
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Greg Herlein wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>This chip is not intended to "spy" on you.
>>>>>
>>>>Ross Anderson says different:
>>>>
>>>>http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html
>>>>
>>>>i think what is of concern is not what tcpa is being used for currently
>>>>but what it *might* be used for.
>>>>
>>>>im writing a book on the subject (see www.copyleftmedia.org.uk) and have
>>>>been reading about it for the last year. the further i get into this the
>>>>more worrying it becomes.
>>>>
>>>>http://ukcdr.org has some good info too....
>>>>
>>>>m~
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>--
>>>>iriXx
>>>>www.iriXx.org
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>--
>>>>The linux-thinkpad mailing list home page is at:
>>>>http://mailman.linux-thinkpad.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-thinkpad
>>>
>>>
>>
>>--
>>iriXx
>>www.iriXx.org
>>
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>
>
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iriXx
www.iriXx.org
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