Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Non-Tech : Iomega Thread without Iomega -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeff Hayden who wrote (4234)	11/17/1998 1:03:00 AM
From: ftth	Respond to of 10072

Hi Jeff, exactly. The unique serial number of each drive is mixed with a key (the serial number itself is not a secure string, so it has to be encrypted), and that is what allows the single-platform playback. That would serve as your authorization string to allow decryption of the data. Even if this isn't exactly what they're doing, any company could implement this. Similar things are being implemented to protect content from unauthorized viewing in the cable modem world. The ID or serial number could also be provided by a certificate authority and stored on your hard drive for example. This is similar to the model being implemented in many areas to supposedly secure valuable content, but it does not PREVENT copying. There are cracks. They need to be REAL CAREFUL about making assurances of absolute security, because if their claims of security are ever violated, and someone compromises the system and obtains secret documents (which doesn't necessarliy mean government documents), they can be held liable for damages. Public-domain music and books have no such dire consequences, but they say specifically intellectual property. I don't know how a peripheral device attached to an unencrypted bus, which in turn feeds a playback device (or even playback/display software) that expects an unencrypted data stream could ever PREVENT copying. That was my main point. dh