the magic number
So, unless you live under some sort of rock that doesn’t have a wireless connection, you’ve probably read about this whole Digg mess — basically, some dude hero figured out the AACS key that keeps people from ripping HD-DVDs, and links to this information kept getting posted on Digg. Digg responded by censoring the posts and banning a ton of users. The users, were, of course, totally pissed. [more details at Boingboing]
Now, everyone’s going to run around, copying the videos they already paid for. It’s madness, really, total anarchy. So, this thing has been kicking around since yesterday, and today, well, today, Fleshbot* is in on the fun, putting together a pornographic gallery featuring everyone’s new favorite number. (Note: Don’t click on the previous link while at work unless you work someplace with a really, really lax policy about these things. “Pornographic” means “naughty bits all over,” got it?)
Cory Doctorow received a cease and desist letter after one of the students in a class he is teaching on copyright criminality in the digital age posted a link to the number in the class blog. Doctorow’s advice, which is included in the first link in this post: Remove the link, then export that cease and desist letter to PDF, then upload that to your site. The letter, of course, will most likely contain the number. Gold star idea.
Regardless of any of these specific instances of digital resistance, the very nature of information distribution in this networked age means the odds of the code being suppressed are about zilch, and the more the AACS Licensing Authority tries to stop the number from circulating, the more petty and unsophisticated the organization seems. While the euphoric moment of the internet may be long gone, instances like the riot on Digg at least seem cause for optimism.
*Digg actually doesn’t allow links to a number of sites, Fleshbot among them, so the instance of censorship yesterday isn’t particularly shocking. Digg is user-driven just like the MPAA reflects the standards of average Americans.