Latest Twist On DRM Of Physical Products: Machines Locked Down By Geolocation

from the and-you-thought-you-owned-it dept

Fri, Jan 10th 2014 11:34am — Glyn Moody

Despite overwhelming evidence that the public hates DRM, companies persist in coming up with new ways to impose it in an effort to control how their products are used. Here's the latest twist, pointed out to us by @dozykraut:

On Practical Machinist, there's a fascinating thread about the manufacturer's lockdown on a high-priced, high-end Mori Seiki NV5000 A/40 CNC [computer numerical control] mill. The person who started the thread owns the machine outright, but has discovered that if he moves it at all, a GPS and gyro sensor package in the machine automatically shuts it down and will not allow it to restart until they receive a manufacturer's unlock code.

As the Boing Boing article quoted above explains, this seems to be a requirement of the US government, and is designed to prevent machines being sent to Iran in violation of the embargo placed on that country. But of course, the ramifications are much wider: now these machines can't be moved at all without the manufacturer's knowledge and consent, a situation that the manufacturers have turned into a business-opportunity by using the technology to assist in repossessing machines from delinquent lease-payers -- and requiring permission for privilege of deciding where to place their key capital assets.
What's particularly troubling is that the cost of adding GPS capabilities is already low, and will inevitably become lower. That raises the possibility of a wider range of devices being locked down by geolocation -- and of their owners' rights being eroded down even more.

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Filed Under: cnc machines, drm, geolcations, physical drm

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Christopher Best (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 11:24am

So, here's an interesting thought: You could use a CNC machine and 3D printer to make CNC machines.

Sure, they'd start out crude... And you'd have to develop the control software... But it could be done, and improved rapidly via iterative development...
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 11:48am

Wat
As the Boing Boing article quoted above explains, this seems to be a requirement of the US government, and is designed to prevent machines being sent to Iran in violation of the embargo placed on that country.

I'd have thought GPS was precise enough to distinguish between "moving it across the shop" and "shipping it to Iran."
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:00pm
  
  Re: Wat
  GPS is precise enough to distinguish, but it's likely just easier to program it so that if any sort of movement is detected it turns off. Or to put it more simply "Have you moved?" is an easier check than "Are you moving enough that you could be on your way to Iran?"
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  - SpaceLemur, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:12pm
    
    Re: Re: Wat
    Although I would think that checking "am I in Iran" would be even easier. Then you don't have to worry about both where it is and where it was. You just have to check where it is against a list.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:18pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Wat
      No, "am I in Iran?" would have to check it's current location against a list or a range of values. "Have I moved?" you just need to set a location, and check to see if your current location is different from that one value.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:06pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Wat
        "No, 'am I in Iran?' would have to check it's current location against a list or a range of values."
        
        It would only need to check against the boundaries on a 2D plane (also known as a map). It's quite a trivial thing to do.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:50pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wat
        Which still isn't as trivial as:
        
        Set HomeLocation
        
        Check CurrentLocation
        If CurrentLocation != HomeLocation
        Shut Down
        
        Why worry about boundaries on a plane if you can just worry about a single point?
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        JMT (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:13pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wat
        You're right, but completely missing the point, which is that this method is stupid and unfairly punishes the purchaser. It would be simple, and far better for the manufacturer's supposedly valuable customers, to have the machine freely movable within a set area, which could be a building, city or even country.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:16pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wat
        Because HomeLocation in your example can not be a single point, as it would result in too many false positives and therefore failures. It needs instead to be an area of a certain size and shape, possibly no more complex than a sphere or rectangle. Logically, it is a trivial matter to turn "if CurrentLocation within HomeLocationRadius then fail" into "if CurrentLocation within ProhibitedCountryRadius then fail".
        
        You're making it out to be more difficult than it really is in an attempt to win an argument you've already lost.
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        Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:17pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wat
        Make that "if CurrentLocation not within HomeLocationRadius then fail".
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        Dave, 11 Jan 2014 @ 5:00am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wat
        Not to mention that even if it were slightly more complicated to check if it were within a restricted country, it's still no where near as complicated as putting in a whole infrastructure to shut down the device, provide the owner with all the call in information , staff and train company personal on how and why to reset the machine, verifying and certifying that your process meets government export and consumer protection regulations ... A couple more lines of code versus staffing and training a department to handle the manual reset process?
        
        Anyone worried that a couple lines of code is too complicated is suffering from 'head up the ass' syndrome.
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        Clownius, 13 Jan 2014 @ 2:10am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wat
        You forgot that the current system allows them to add new countries/places to the list in future without needing to recall all the machines.
        
        You never know some country might stop the NSA tapping their comms lines (or another terrible thing in the USAs eyes like piracy/privacy, both are bad m'kay) tomorrow and they will need to be controlled like Iran.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- John Fenderson (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:37pm
  
  Re: Wat
  Yes and no. GPS is pretty error-prone. You can watch the GPS "drift" on stationary receivers as the EM environment around it changes. Installations that require high precision gain it by installing a GPS receiver nearby at a known, fixed location and using that to produce a correction factor for the other receivers.
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  - ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:44pm
    
    Re: Re: Wat
    And this drift is enough to offset it by, say, the width of the planet?
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    - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:05pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Wat
      The GPS and gyros are coordinated to make it more difficult to lie about where the machine is.
      
      As soon as you move the machine, the gyroscope locks the machine down. You call the mill maker and they send you an unlock code. When you punch that in, the machine must be where you said it is or else it won't unlock.
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- limbodog (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:43pm
  
  Re: Wat
  Yes, but "Well we *have* to install it because terrorism" is a good excuse to include "and no resales, by the way or we lock it down."
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:45pm
  
  Re: Wat
  That's what the gyro's for.
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 4:08pm
  
  Re: Wat
  Yes, GPS is precise enough. It's also useless if the extremely weak signal from the satellites cannot reach the antenna, which usually happens within buildings.
  
  It's also easy enough to spoof (see: extremely weak signal). The encoding used by the GPS signal is public, and it's not authenticated.
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- Anonymous Coward, 12 Jan 2014 @ 12:21pm
  
  Re: Wat
  at 1 meter accuracy (which is affordable) and a bit of cheap programing by the manufacturer you can't move equipment over the workshop floor.
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out_of_the_blue, 10 Jan 2014 @ 11:58am

HOLY CRAP! TECHDIRT IS STILL IN THE 20TH CENTURY!
Alarmed about rare industrial machines as if DON'T APPEAR TO KNOW YOUR FANCY NEW CARS HAVE THAT:
�We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you�re doing it,� Farley said, according to a report in Business Insider. �We have GPS in your car, so we know what you�re doing. By the way, we don�t supply that data to anyone.�

Ford on Thursday denounced those comments.

�Ford is absolutely committed to protecting our customers� privacy,� company spokesman Wes Sherwood said. �We do not track our customers. No data is transmitted from the vehicle without the customer�s express consent.�

Customers give consent when they use a navigation or voice-activated system.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140109/AUTO0102/301090127/1361/

WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CARS?

HOW THE HELL CAN I TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY WHEN YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE EVERYDAY SURVEILLANCE?
The phony deal that evil people (and gullible fools) try to force on us: You can't have the benefits of technology unless give up all privacy.

07:56:58[i-137-4]
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- Internet Zen Master (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:20pm
  
  Re: HOLY CRAP! TECHDIRT IS STILL IN THE 20TH CENTURY!
  I can't read Glyn's mind so I can't speak for him, but here's some food for thought ootb:
  
  The GPS in those cars is installed to primarily benefit the customer when they want to use things like, oh I don't know, the navigation system? Something that people like to have in order to find their way around?
  
  Yes, there is definitely a possibility it could be used for "everyday surveillance", maybe even by your favorite scapegoat Google. However, it still requires customers to give consent for the systems to be used.
  
  The 'GPS and gyro sensor package' in the CNC mill provides absolutely zero benefit to the customer, just like regular DRM. The only one who's better off in this situation is the manufacturer.
  
  Please stop and digest this before you start ranting again.
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  - John Fenderson (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:08pm
    
    Re: Re: HOLY CRAP! TECHDIRT IS STILL IN THE 20TH CENTURY!
    Also, the GPS is cars is really, really easy to disable or remove without rendering the car inoperable.
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  - Just Sayin', 11 Jan 2014 @ 9:43pm
    
    Re: Re: HOLY CRAP! TECHDIRT IS STILL IN THE 20TH CENTURY!
    "The 'GPS and gyro sensor package' in the CNC mill provides absolutely zero benefit to the customer, just like regular DRM. The only one who's better off in this situation is the manufacturer."
    
    There is actually plenty of benefit for the customer, just not what you might think.
    
    CNC mills are very delicate, and in order to perform and produce parts to very high tolerances, the machines themselves must be properly installed and maintained. That means even a slight movement (say, dragging it across your shop to the other side) may be enough to cause problems - and thus produce poorer quality parts.
    
    As a company, if you use the machine and think everything is in tolerance but it is not, the parts you produce may not work properly, may not fit, or in a worst case scenerio may fail in operation and cause injury or death to the end consumer of the parts made with the CNC machine.
    
    It's obviously to great benefit to the owner of a CNC machine to have it installed propertly and maintained properly, and it's also of great benefit to the company making the CNC machines to be able to prove if the machine was properly installed by their technicians or not if a lawsuit comes down the pipe. There is a whole lot of benefit for everyone involved here.
    
    Moreover, if you then decide to sell your machine shop to someone else, being sure that the equipment was properly installed would be a plus in the sale price.
    
    Pushing it as "DRM" is crap, the whole "it moved to Iran" thing is only a sideline in the deal. Assuring that the machines work as intended, and that user of the machine does not inadvertently cause it to produce defective parts is key here, and very critical all the way to the consumer marketplace.
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    - Pragmatic, 13 Jan 2014 @ 6:41am
      
      Re: Re: Re: HOLY CRAP! TECHDIRT IS STILL IN THE 20TH CENTURY!
      All that being true (I'll assume, for the sake of the argument), it should be possible to gently, carefully move the machine without GPS alerting the manufacturer. That's plain creepy. Besides, when updating Adobe software or whatever, I have to input the code that proves I paid for it in order to get the upgrade. I can actually move my PC to any location I want and still be able to use the software I paid for. For now. Don't give them ideas.
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    - John Fenderson (profile), 13 Jan 2014 @ 9:03am
      
      Re: Re: Re: HOLY CRAP! TECHDIRT IS STILL IN THE 20TH CENTURY!
      That means even a slight movement (say, dragging it across your shop to the other side) may be enough to cause problems - and thus produce poorer quality parts.
      
      Oh, please.
      
      What would be a benefit to the customer might be a warning message that says that the machine detected movement that is out of spec, and it needs to be serviced.
      
      Just locking it down is not a benefit for anybody but the manufacturer.
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- JMT (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:17pm
  
  Re: HOLY CRAP! TECHDIRT IS STILL IN THE 20TH CENTURY!
  I know this stuff confuses you greatly, but this topic has nothing at all to do with surveillance or privacy. Try to keep up with the class.
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Internet Zen Master (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 11:59am

Hm
Part of me thinks you might be blowing this out of proportion Glyn. I mean, why would anyone install Geolocation measures on physical products unless the products were like CNC mill, and being illegally exported to Iran.

Then the cynical side of me points out that if they can do it in something huge like a CNC mill, what's stopping companies like Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo from eventually doing something similar when the next round of consoles comes out?
What if the video game industry decides they really want to enforce the whole "region-lock" thing? Got that new PS5/Xbox4.0 in a country where it's not being released yet/won't ever be released due to whatever stupid regulation?

Those gaming companies won't even have to worry about you using their product where you're not supposed to, even if you're not hooked up to the net! They'll just use the GPS and gyro sensor package they installed in the machine and turned the expensive console you bought with your own money into a big fat doorstop.

Yes, it's hyperbolic, but that's where I can see stuff like this headed, depending on how small they're able to make the gyro sensor/GPS package.

Seriously, who the hell thought Physical DRM was ever a good idea anyway?
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- Rikuo (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:05pm
  
  Re: Hm
  Imagine taking your Nintendo 4DS (this new handheld console allows you to gather TimeCoins by walking around with the console on, just like the 3DS. You can spend these coins while gaming to see bonehead decisions and screwups you're going to make in the future, therefore you now know how what not to do) from one country to another. You put in the game cart, but the GPS detects where you are and says for a "modest" fee, you can "activate" the cart for "turbocharged INTERNATIONAL!!!!ZOMG! gameplay!"
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:31pm
  
  Re: Hm
  depending on how small they're able to make the gyro sensor/GPS package.
  
  Small enough to fit in smartphones today.
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- Absconding abdication, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:46pm
  
  Re: Hm
  same people who thing region locking DVDs etc is a good idea. Can't sell DVDs in Africa at 20$ a pop but sure can in the US.
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:49pm
  
  Re: Hm
  Region lock!?!? What about when they shut you down because you took your XB0x to a friends house?
  "Oh, you want to have an XBox party? Then you need to subscribe to our Party Package for a nominal fee!"
  
  It's already bad enough my DVR is useless when I lose the internet connection. Yes, I understand it's to keep me from recording stuff and taking the box to a friends house. But when the cable is out I can't even watch the shows I recorded for when the cable goes out :/
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  - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 3:07pm
    
    Re: Re: Hm
    Region lock!?!? What about when they shut you down because you took your XB0x to a friends house?
    
    The implementation on the machine tool is more like you moved it from one side of the TV to the other so you now need to get a new unlock code.
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Arsik Vek (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:04pm

Out of curiosity, if I shipped this thing to Iran, do we actually believe they wouldn't be able to bypass this "feature"?
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:17pm
  
  Re:
  The law is an excuse, not actually a deterrent. There are better ways of determining if it's in Iran than a GPS receiver planted inside of it.
  
  It's the same excuse that many other companies use making products that phone home when it comes to "Piracy". This is clearly meant to be enforcement of EULAs across the board. Or to program planned obsolescence into their products (see: every console video game that used multiplayer that was released a decade earlier).
  
  It's really not surprising that larger machines have adopted this as well, especially considering that CNC machine costs as much as my car (which may also fail in the future once the manufacturer decides that I need to upgrade it).
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  - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:41pm
    
    Re: Re:
    I think you could buy several cars for the cost of the particular machine under discussion, except possibly something like a Maserati.
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:35pm
  
  Re:
  When it is implemented in firmware, burnt into on-board flash of a processor, and the critical parts of the board buried under export blobs, it is quicker to rip out the control system and build your own. Depending on what tricks the maker have got up to, this may also require replacing sensor and motors.
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- JMT (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:24pm
  
  Re:
  The manufacturer seems to think so, but I guess they would say that.
  
  http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/dmg-mori-gildemeister-maho-cnc/mori-ellison-gyroscope-unlo cking-273841/#post2145512
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- PRMan, 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:53pm
  
  Re:
  Yeah, there's absolutely no way you could fool the GPS afterward... :rolleyes:
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Todd Knarr (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:11pm

There's another reasonable reason to lock a machine like this: there's some fairly delicate parts in these machines that can be easily damaged if the machine's not moved properly or isn't placed and leveled correctly. Most manufacturers already say "If you don't have us assisting in moving it to make sure everything's done right, we won't do repairs on it and won't support it from that point on until we've come in and done a complete prep-and-install on the machine to make sure everything's right again. And it will be at your expense.". It's much the same reason companies I worked for put ShockWatch tags on expensive equipment we were shipping, to be able to tell when it arrived whether it'd been mishandled. Policy was that if it arrived with a ShockWatch tag showing red, we were to document everything including photos and make sure the damage claim form was filled out and signed by the driver before we accepted delivery. If they'd broken it in transit we wanted their insurance to be picking up the tab for replacing a hundred grand worth of tool, not us.
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- Rikuo (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:18pm
  
  Re:
  What part of "Don't move it unless we're there to assist you" actually requires this type of geo-location DRM? If the machine didn't have it, and the purchaser moved it and broke something delicate, then as you say, he'd still be on the hook for paying repair costs, since there wouldn't be a record of the manufacturer having sent it's employees out to assist.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:02pm
    
    Re: Re:
    If I were to venture a guess: Because it is relatively cheap! The gyro is probably used for leveling since it is a high precision tool. Wouldn't expect is to be for DRM as such.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:15pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      The gyro is there to detect movement when the GPS fails, like due to being in a factory and surrounded by metal. Being as it give a point position, it is useless for levelling. To level a machine like that you need to measure by some means the beds relationship to a plane, which is usually done by making sure that it is level in length, and at 90 degrees at both ends of the length.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - John Fenderson (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:09pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      It's still not as cheap as just looking at the service record -- which has to be done anyway.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Todd Knarr (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:56pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Because companies would move the equipment, damage it in the process, then try and claim they hadn't done anything (how many times have we heard that from users?), move the machine back to where it was originally if need be and try and get the manufacturer to cover the repairs. So rig the equipment so there's no problem if it's left alone, but if it's moved significantly it locks itself. If the owner's followed the service contract they'll never have this happen because they'll have you there during the move and you'll unlock the machine as part of checking that it's installed properly in the new location. And if you get a service call for a "faulty" machine and it turns out it's been locked because it was moved, the owner can't try and make you foot the bill for damage they caused. Most of these machines that I've dealt with can have the lockdown disabled, and the manufacturer will do exactly that for you if you're not renewing the service contract (although they'll also usually require you to sign a statement that you understand the equipment will not be covered by a warranty or service agreement after this point and if it needs repairs it'll all be on your dime).
    
    I was taught to do something similar on cars. I'd chalk-mark parts before work was done, so I could tell afterwards if they'd moved stuff they shouldn't've or failed to move stuff they ought to have. Worst case was catching a dealer trying to tell me they'd put a completely new transmission in (manufacturer recall, the transmission was to be completely pulled and replaced, housing and all), but there on the "new" transmission were the exact chalk marks I'd put on the old one marking the alignment with the engine and the drive shaft.
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  - Jeremy, 13 Jan 2014 @ 10:31am
    
    If it broke while moving it then they could move it back and be like,"it just quitting working, we don't know what happened."
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:29pm

Samsung has already begun to do this with its Galaxy devices since last year.
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Applesauce, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:32pm

These don't use GPS
They use a gyro and motion sensor kit. Think "tilt switch". It is not sophisticated enough to tell if you've moved the machine a mere six feet or all the way to Iran.
Still, companies are taking advantage of the Federal rules to squeeze their customers. Just as the commercial airlines have used TSA regs to make it impossible for you to resell your airline tickets as I remember doing many years ago.
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John Fenderson (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:35pm

Time to invest
I guess it's time to invest in all of the various companies that make GPS spoofing hardware.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:41pm

Out of Business
So what do you do when the manufacturer goes under and your building lease is up?

I suppose you could sell it for scrap....
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:45pm
  
  Re: Out of Business
  If the manufacturer goes under, the first component failure makes the machine scrap. They have probably put a switch inside the electronics box to disable it if the box is opened.
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- mosqua, 11 Jan 2014 @ 8:25am
  
  Re: Out of Business
  Ez, Just make sure that you stipulate it in the initial contract.
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MikeC (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 12:58pm

GPS inside a factory??
How are they getting GPS to work in a lot of locations? Many many industrial locations have so much interference or physical blockage that GPS won't work. How do they account for that. I can take you a brass extrusion company where the ovens, smelters and electronic interference make cell phones useless in the parking lot. Good luck with GPS.

This sounds bad and it really is, But as was said, I am much more worried about what happens if they go out of business. Since I've worked on CNC's that are 20-30 years old w/control systems that are from companies that don't exist anymore. Old software, mod's, on and on and on with possible problems.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:06pm

So the only reason of this is because someone still believes that Iran is building nukes.
That someone is the US government, which in the past few years lost all of its credibility.
So again they do something really stupid and say its because "muh terrorists"
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:11pm

Then all one would have to do is use GPS jammer to circumvent that.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:18pm

Liability
Under what law or legal precedent is it the tool manufacturer's responsibility to prevent their tools from being exported by third parties? Aside from willful ignorance, why would the manufacturer be held liable for illegal exports by third parties?.
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Andrew Norton (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 1:26pm

I used to machine (many years ago I was a robotics guy ,was even one of the tech advisers/safety inspectors on BattleBots), and I'll tell you one thing about modern machining. The low-end stuff today, is worse than the low-end stuff from the 40s.

Second, 90% of all mills and lathes come from China.

Third - there are a NUMBER of conversion kits, to turn regular mills and lathes into CNC machines, and has been for a long time. I remember the battleBot builder association SORC buying and installing a conversion kit in 1999.

Fourth -mills and lathes and CNC machines are not that complex. In fact they're a lot simpler than atomic weapons to construct. So, if you're worried about constructing a bomb, and don't want them to do it, trying to den them a much simpler tool used for it, aint going to work. Especially not when there are even open source kits out there. After all, how well did the Ban on CNC machines hamper the Manhattan project? (I know the ban was temporal, in that they hadn't been invented at that point, but the US made them without needing a CNC)
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- Andrew Norton (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:07pm
  
  Re:
  oh, and I forgot that some of those conversion kits, are open source (Such as https://www.inventables.com/technologies/desktop-cnc-mill-kit-shapeoko-2)
  
  Lets see how well they get stopped, eh?
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John Nemesh, 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:05pm

geolocation locks are already out there
Sprint's femtocell (AirRave) already does this as well, although I am not sure of the geographic restrictions, it will not operate AT ALL without a GPS lock. I am guessing that if you leave the US, it will know it and wont allow it to operate.
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 4:16pm
  
  Re: geolocation locks are already out there
  Is it CDMA or UMTS (3G)? If it is, it can't operate at all without a GPS lock. The CDMA protocol (also used in a modified form by UMTS) NEEDS a precise time reference to work correctly. This precise time reference usually comes from the GPS. Without it, there would be lots of interference.
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raindog469 (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:11pm

Not the first device to do this
Living in a rural-suburban area, we have wireless phone service issues inside our house, so bad that our carrier has provided us with two femtocells (devices that plug into your broadband connection and act as a tiny cell tower, routing your calls over IP). Both of them have had a GPS antenna on a long wire that you have to stick in a window so it can geolocate you. Until it does, there's a red light flashing on the front of the unit and it's essentially a brick.

Someone at Sprint told me when I first got it that it's due to export regulations, and I know I've heard of satphone users getting in trouble in countries whose governments are also monopoly phone companies. Maybe it's that, maybe they need location data on every phone to share with the mighty US government. Who knows? Either way it's annoying as hell.
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- John Fenderson (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:33pm
  
  Re: Not the first device to do this
  Did Sprint provide these at no charge? If you're renting them, you should look into just buying your own. They're readily available (Amazon even sells them), and you don't have to worry about any geolocking.
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  - raindog469 (profile), 13 Jan 2014 @ 8:47am
    
    Re: Re: Not the first device to do this
    We did get our femtocells for free. But look on Amazon: the only Sprint-compatible femtocell is exactly the same unit as Sprint provides for free, with the same mandatory GPS antenna.
    
    Perhaps you were thinking of repeaters, which require no GPS antenna but wouldn't help us as much since the coverage in our neighborhood is terrible in general, even for the two big guys.
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    - John Fenderson (profile), 13 Jan 2014 @ 9:05am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Not the first device to do this
      Yes, you're absolutely right. My mistake.
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 4:24pm
  
  Re: Not the first device to do this
  There are several good reasons to lock a femtocell to a fixed location.
  
  First, Sprint has a license to the frequency used by the femtocell which is restricted to a geographic area. This is not like wifi, which is unlicensed. Within that geographic area, only Sprint is supposed to use that frequency; outside it, the frequency can be reserved to someone else.
  
  Second, for operational reasons even within the geographic area they have to know the precise location of every femtocell. On a cellular system, all cells are sized and have frequencies chosen to avoid inter-cell interference and to allow for a specified level of service. This also applies to femtocells: if they are put somewhere unexpected, they can mess with the careful planning.
  
  Third, they have to be able to locate (and remotely disable) the femtocell in case it's misbehaving and causing interference.
  
  A femtocell is just an extension of the operator's wireless infrastructure. It's part of the operator's cellular network.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:28pm

I wholeheartedly agree with the handful of "Don't like it? Build your own comments.

In today's age, there's little excuse for not at least having a basic idea of how to build your own stuff, instead of being dependent on a third party that can at any time become an adversary.
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- John Fenderson (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 2:36pm
  
  Re:
  Yes, but not having to be an expert in all fields is one of the huge benefits of having a society, and is what allows society to advance.
  
  I advocate a middle road: have enough personal friends so that at least one of them is competent in any given field.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Jan 2014 @ 3:40am
    
    Re: Re:
    Better start a hacker lab where you live in your neighboorhood and start hacking life.
    
    I used my DIY scanning electron microscope to view a 555 timer circuit while it was powered.
    
    BenKrasnow: Viewing an active electronic circuit with a scanning electron microscope
    
    BenKrasnow: DIY Custom LCD
    
    http://buildyourcnc.com/
    http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CNC/
    http://hackaday.com/2013/10/24/a- very-professional-homemade-cnc-router/
    http://diylilcnc.org/
    
    MIT: Paper Speakers.
    
    I love being a hacker yay!
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- Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 3:16pm
  
  Re:
  In today's age, there's little excuse for not at least having a basic idea of how to build your own stuff, instead of being dependent on a third party that can at any time become an adversary.
  
  Where do start the process of building your own stuff, prospecting for the raw materials, working from refined materials, or using pre-built parts. If you really want to be independent of third parties, start investigating stone age technology, as that is about all that a single person or small group can mange without dependencies of external manufacturers.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Jan 2014 @ 3:58am
    
    Re: Re:
    Yep start there and evolve, some will go farther than you think or scratch some itch, learn about something that you are curious and try to do it yourself and start learning from there.
    
    Do you want to learn how to build a high quality ribbon microphone?
    http://www.diyaudiocomponents.com/ribboninfo.php?sub=1
    
    Is simple, just a pair of magnets and a thin metallic ribbon, also they can work as loud speakers.
    
    I know that some here will be very interested in that since they are involved in audio production.
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- JMT (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 4:07pm
  
  Re:
  I don't think you appreciate how sophisticated the machine in question is. It's not something you just knock together in a back corner of your factory.
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  - Andrew Norton (profile), 10 Jan 2014 @ 4:36pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Says who?
    
    You certainly can, just its cheaper (in time and materials) to buy it in.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 4:42pm

Wait, since when can the government force private corporations to ensure their products aren't being smuggled into embargoed nations? Isn't that why we have customs and border patrol officers?
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- John Fenderson (profile), 12 Jan 2014 @ 11:41am
  
  Re:
  Since always. The government can certainly demand that any machinery being exported must include certain features (such as a geolocation lock). Manufacturers wouldn't have to include the feature in units sold domestically, but if the feature is cheap enough, they'll just throw it into every unit they make anyway.
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Anonymous Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 6:34pm

Line of Sight
Um, GPS needs line of sight to work. I often have to take portable GPS devices outside to get them to acquire, or put them to the window, and then it may depend on how many satellites are in that direction.

If the mill is located outside, GPS would not be a problem, unless they were in the bottom of a canyon. Do they often locate CNC mills outdoors? Indoors, no one will have any idea where the device is, via GPS.

It is far more likely that the device requires Internet access and the locating is done by IP address.
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- John Fenderson (profile), 12 Jan 2014 @ 11:43am
  
  Re: Line of Sight
  GPS needs line of sight to work
  
  Sortof. GPS needs to be able to see the signals from at least three GPS satellites. Completely unobstructed view to the satellites is not necessary -- I can get a GPS lock inside the office building I work at, even though I'm nowhere near a window. However, GPS signals are also very, very weak and are easily obstructed. Some buildings (like yours) will obstruct the signals, while others (like mine) will not, regardless of direct line of sight. It all depends.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jan 2014 @ 9:29pm

I am seeing a lot of CNC machine dumps in the MESS future.

I don't know how that GPS check is done, but in the worst case with the GPS embedded in the main chip controller, one could possibly dump the original set of instructions, emulate everything and bypass the GPS apparatus to a dummy GPS emulator that would give always the same coordinates.
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drew, 11 Jan 2014 @ 12:57am

They will never learn.
DRM does not apply to pirates, but it will do a good job of pissing off legit users.
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Annonimus, 11 Jan 2014 @ 8:03am

And 3d printing is on the rise
As they try to add more and more control and leases to their products the legacy machine manufacturing industry will fuel its own downfall by making room in the market for machines that are produced by assembling illegal 3d prints (lets face it: they will try to get 3d prints for making machines banned for the same reason the copyright lobby is trying to legally control what the copy function on a computer can be used for) without any GPS components and without any intentional security holes for the government to use.

Buckle in people, a new front is opening up.
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Daemon_ZOGG, 11 Jan 2014 @ 11:56am

GPS spoofing?
youtube.com . Also, with reasonable skills in programming and component-level pcb hardware. Along with exploritory reverse engineering (partial disassembly). It shouldn't take too long to disable the offending device. A couple of weeks, maybe.
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- John Fenderson (profile), 12 Jan 2014 @ 11:44am
  
  Re: GPS spoofing?
  You can also just buy GPS spoofers outright.
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Mega1987 (profile), 11 Jan 2014 @ 5:09pm

well. well. well....
Looks like those company are expanding some of their departments.....

by making their databases to handle at least more than a million records,if not billions, a year plus the cost of maintaining and updating such database....

I mean add gps system to a device? cars, I can understand that as well as other TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS as they need those so they won't get lost during their travel/journey... especially in airplanes and ships.

but on other computer device other than a handheld device on the purpose of tracking the device, other than using the map/weather app in any mobile device, to put an AUTO SHUT OFF system if it goes out of bound and must wait for the company to send it's reactivation code to use it again from a different location?

add more cost to the product to justify it?

oh well... more reasons for Jailbreakers to kick up their technical skills to counter such lockdown...
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Jan 2014 @ 7:49pm

We've already fallout over the NSA and people deciding they don't need US products because they might be spied on. So how long till these companies making this type of CNC mill find out they don't have a market either? At this rate the US government is going to look around one day and find despite all these trade treaties that no one is buying from them.

Boy that'll really fix the economy won't it?
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- Pragmatic, 13 Jan 2014 @ 6:45am
  
  Re:
  We can only hope. Because at that point, the blowback will create the momentum we need to effect change. There's just not enough outrage at the moment because it's not enough of a problem to the average Joe.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2014 @ 12:54pm

Boycott them.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2014 @ 3:11pm

Wait for the monetization of this concept....
Your machine comes with a 5 mile "home location" any movement outside of your licensed 5 mile radius will result in your machine shutting down and becoming inoperable.

Don't worry, once you move your machine back within your home location radius, you can re-activate your machine for only $1000. (US cash only, no checks please).

If you would like to purchase a 100 mile radius license, the option is available for only $10,000, 1000 mile radius license available for only $100,000, 10,000 mile radius license for only $1,000,000 (you get the picture, call us and we will sell you the license you need at an appropriately gouging price).

Trademark/Copyright/Patent Pending... all your license are belonging to me.... muahahahaha
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97pstore, 19 Feb 2014 @ 2:08am

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Joel J Fogle, 19 Mar 2014 @ 7:25pm

Machinery & Equipment http://www.ecvv.com/hot-products/Machinery-Equipment.html
Hot Products http://www.ecvv.com/hot-products/index.html
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Ben C. Benson, 14 Nov 2014 @ 12:41am

Just rip out teh Jap-Junk controls and install LinuxCNC controller, and compatible servos and servo amps. Problem fixed. Of course, you could just get a used machine and do that from the get go anyway. There are plenty of Brother Tapping Centers out there that can be had cheap. There's a thread on cnc arena about a TC-225 refit - neat stuff. Anyway, this is nothing new, really. The Japanese have always been very shady about building non standard and obfuscated controls and not supporting anything. They're reply is always "just buy new machine".
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