Info With A Ball And Chain
from the the-age-of-digital-ankle-bracelets dept
A few weeks back, there was a bit of a discussion around David Weinberger's article declaring digital rights management a crime against humanity. Now, Newsweek is picking up the issue. While they quote Weinberger and Ed Felten talking about why DRM technology is bad for society, they basically say that we should all just learn to accept it because it's not going away. I still find this notion slightly odd. As Weinberger says in the article, "there's no user demand for it." Industries are trying to base their entire business model by making products that are worse for consumers. Some have accused me of being too optimistic, but it appears to me that such a situation is ripe for a smart business person to come along and do the opposite. Offer consumers a choice, where they get what they want, instead of unwanted restrictions. Business models based on forcing consumers to accept what they don't want are not sustainable. Update: There's a Reuters story making the rounds that also is talking about our future in a DRMed world, suggesting that it's inevitable.
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