This interesting ploy divided ne'er-do-well computer jocks into separate factions. On the one hand, you have the hackers who stay "true to the game": the types who would never take anything from The Man at face value. And on the other, you have the up-and-comers, who'll do anything for a fast buck. So what happened? You'll have to read on for those details.
Will there ever be a secure digital music format? Maybe. We've asked our panel of experts to give their two cents on the matter, and their answers run the gamut of possibility. Andrew Klobucar kicks off this quandary, and he speaks a bit to the recent SDMI challenge.
Andrew Klobucar
Associate Editor, ZDNet Developer Channel
Few expressions in the American lexicon evoke the level of reverence imparted upon the words "private property." In fact, were it not for widespread federal alarm in the 19th century over the practice of counterfeiting, the very institute of the FBI might never have been founded, and with them the sacred art of the "watermark." Yet, what may continue to work well as a security initiative for currency does not seem to hold much weight in the ever-changing world of digital music. As Salon.com revealed this fall, the latest attempt by the SDMI team to make music identifiable failed to withstand the efforts of hackers, and four watermarking technologies all bit the dust.
Watermarking allows serial numbers to be embedded in music files and, while inaudible, it can also notify so-called secure players when certain music has been illegally copied. In theory, it remains consistent with most security initiatives on the Web. Serial numbers have long been a traditional mode of insuring copyright protection on software applications. Yet, these days, the SDMI is not too positive that a watermarking technology can be pitted against the tech-savvy pirate's attack.
As the story goes, in September this year, the SDMI issued a public challenge to help it choose among four proposed watermarking technologies. During the three-week challenge, researchers could download samples of watermarked music, and they were invited to attempt to remove the secret copyright watermarks.
The final result held that researchers from Princeton, Rice University, and Xerox were all able to defeat each watermarking effort by rendering the watermarks undetectable without significantly degrading the audio quality of the samples.
Of course, this doesn't mean the end of music security. In a mood of single-mindedness reminiscent of a certain candidate's ongoing bid for the presidency, the SDMI maintains its goal of providing copyright protection for digital music distribution. Yet, only time will tell if a watermarking scheme will prove successful. In the meantime, I'll watch as all the tech-heads duke out their proposals and download MP3s in peace.
