Re: [OS:N:] Student "rights" thread

On Wed, Aug 13, 2003 at 10:14:59AM -0700, James Michael DuPont wrote:
> You can restrict the distribution of the files by usage of encryption,
> authentication. 
Encryption doesn't restrict re-distribution.  the student will have
to decrypt the content in order to read it.  Since its an open format 
there will be many tools that can decrypt the content and the student
will then  be able to redistribute the "content-in-the-clear" at will.

> digital watermarking can be used to track escaped documents, automatic
> slight random changes in the grammar, spacing, punctuation and wording
> of each version distributed is one method. 

No, If you are tracking escaped content,its too late.  the damage is done.
it will cost you more to re-capture the content then you can ever hope
to re-coup.  

> It all comes down the matter of trust, contract and responsability.

Even if you intimidate the content-receivers ("we can track what you
give to others...."), into not re-distributing the content, you do not
have a trust-based relationship.  Thats just a red herring.

Trust is clearly not a viable option, a sad but true fact:
Repeating:
> > (recent polls have already shown that two thirds of of the folks on
> > the internet do not respect copyright ownership and routinely
> > redistribute copyrighted material without any concern for the 
> > illegality of the act.)

> That is also because it is so easy to do. The ripping of documents is a
> bit harder.

Ripping documents is easier than ripping music/movies.

> The ideas of watermarking and providing digitally encrypted,
> watermarked, and signed content to the users of the system have occured
> to me. Just because the file format is open does not mean it cannot be
> secure. 
It almost guarantees that the content can be redistributed at will.

> Imagine for example the possibility of delivery of the content not in
> text format, but in a secure xml package.
Just another form of encryption.  Since the format is open there will be
multiple tools which can decrypt the content which can then be
re-distributed at will.  If DRM was an easy simple thing to solve
it would have already been solved.

> 
> This is getting back to the issues of digital rights management and
> elecronic books. 
> 
> The difference is that you can have an aggreement with the students
> that creates a closed users group, you need to trust them. 
> 
> If you dont trust your students, then why do you want to use free
> software to begin with? 

You are confusing software with "course content" again.  What software
they use has nothing to do with the trust issue.  No matter what
software is used, it is already known that digital content, in the
clear, will be redistributed at will.



-- 
Jeff Kinz, Open-PC, Emergent Research,  Hudson, MA.  [email protected]
copyright 2003.  Use is restricted. Any use is an 
acceptance of the offer at http://www.kinz.org/policy.html.
Don't forget to change your password often.


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