When does DRM goes too far?

Over at the SysInternals blog, there’s a classic example of what happens when DRM gets out of hand. It turns out that Sony have been silently installing root kits as part of their DRM strategy. The rootkit patches the kernel and silently installs a series of backdoors with coding flaws that enable anyone to hide files on your system. Removing the rootkit was awkward and annoying for Mark, a respected author on Rootkit detection.

This kind of ‘audio phishing’ only forces the hand of legitimate music buyers. It creates a situation where those purchasing legitimate music end up with crippling backdoors and multiple DRM installations by different DRM vendors, whilst the pirates get unencumbered music that they can freely move between devices. If done properly, DRM can be an excellent way to ensure that the music industry limits casual copying, but the music industry needs to wake up and smell the coffee like the gaming industry did. You can stop bedroom copiers, you can even slow the professional crackers down, but you can’t stop them forever. Screwing your own customers over does not endear you to the general public. I’ve refused to buy any CDs from BMG after their DRM scandals, I guess this is just the shape of things to come.