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Comment by nikblack | Hacker News Reader

here is a case where we actually need DRM. the girl should have been able to secure the content and allow access to only those people she wished to grant it to - there is both nothing legally or morally wrong with that.

there is a tech angle to this story - and its about how we need solutions to stop unauthorized propagation of private content. DRM systems as already built into Windows and other systems would work perfect - it just needs to be standardized and rolled out across mobile and web platforms (most of it is based on open protocols)

It's a shame because we have the technology, it is just currently being applied in the wrong places

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wow, isn't that a good idea!!! Startup idea for anyone who wants it.

No, it's a bad idea. It wouldn't work. Neither on a technical level (DRM on images is trivially circumvented), nor on a social level (idiots will always be idiots - no matter how many safeguards you build in, they always find a way around them).

And that's without even getting into the slippery slope aspects of DRM technology.

no, it would work. it doesn't have to be DRM per se, just automated public key encryption and signing using something unique such as the phones IMEI number.

it is very possible to implement encryption and signing without having the user go through key generation etc. make it all transparent and give them a lock to click on if they want to make the message and attachments secure. PGP already has a similar product, and hushmail is pretty easy to use.

And what does that gain you? Nothing.

The image needs to be displayed on the receiving end. From that point the cat is out the bag, no matter how many locks you put on the bag.

we are talking about propagation here. its built so that the person who receives the image is then unable to forward it to somebody else. or at least they can, but that person won't be able to unencrypt.

its pretty standard, and working with e-commerce for a while now.

its pretty standard, and working with e-commerce for a while now.

In what area of "e-commerce" is that standard and working? I don't know of any but I know at least one where DRM was tried and failed miserably (music distribution).

Moreover I can only repeat that DRM is technically infeasible for images because the images need to be displayed on the clients screen. When your eyes can see it then the lens of your digicam can also see it. Get it?

wow, your on a completely different page - and im going to leave it at that.

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