DRM and Sony Rookit

What if DHS mandated that all vehicles have GPS systems embedded in them that was in front of the ignition system which allowed all vehicles to notify DHS where they are at without the owners ability or say in it and with a single command could shut down by blocking the ignition system  - for all vehicles built in the USA, shipped to or out of the USA, or any car company in the world that used a car part made or created by a company that is US based or a has ownership and or stockholders in the USA (that should pretty well cover every company in the world)? Everyone would complain.

 

What if the car companies did it on their own? The companies can and do - and if every car company did it in the world who could you complain to? Just not buy their car in protest - else you agree to that "feature."

 

That is what software companies are doing - legally.

 

Every time you boot up a program they almost always "phone home" as a DRM requirement - or registration check (Adobe / Macromedia does this) and woe be anyone that cannot get to the Internet - after so many days - the program stops till it can "phone home" to ensure that it is valid under the DRM rules.

 

Some rental cars already have GPS transceivers in them to record where the cards go - and how fast. Some cars have computers in them that record 60 seconds of data of the car that can be used for - and against - you in an accident.

 

This has been going on a long time by private firms. Privacy rules in the US only really concerns Government keeping of data - a private firm can pretty well do anything they want and if you want to use their product you either agree to all their terms or not purchase it.

 

What is getting worse is that Government is mandating rules but lets private firms create the methods to enforce rules any way they want without the end user having a say - or knowing - how it is enforced.

 

Sony played by the "rules" in that it can have any DRM it wants - and there is no restriction on what the enforcement methods are or data it can collect from people to enforce the rules.