Wednesday, February 21, 2007

A Strange Intersection of Surveillance & DRM Technology

There was fascinating article in the NY Times about video/content recognition software - a utility typically used for video surveillance systems.

This article showcased an interesting twist on its use...Cracking Down on, and preventing Online Video Piracy (DRM) !

Essentially, this California company demonstrated its software running while viewing YouTube. One clip of an illegal movie upload, even while distorted, in black-and-white, and overdubbed from a video pirate, was immediately and correctly identified - by its exact scene.

Hearkening back to the Sony Root-Kit debacle, I shudder to think what a big media company wouldn't give to be able to distribute a root-level application to users that "watches and listens" to content to make sure it's been validated. If Vista checks up on your drivers a gazillion times a minute, it's certainly not too much to imagine it checking up on your media too.

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