The big media companies have something precious and you’re desperate for it!

The big media companies have figured out that the music and films they produce are, and will always be, what people can’t live without. That’s why they're looking into such draconian measures as a DVD player that might require your fingerprint to let you play a DVD. (Of course you’d have to buy a new DVD player to play these new DVDs. If, somehow, this new system is sold and not hacked at once, I think that other less paranoid sources of music and film will quickly steal the market from the old companies. Intellectual Property expert Ed Felton calls this idea for tight control over IP “creepy”.


The story is also over at Slashdot, whose commenters tend to be about one tenth as intelligent as the stories themselves. Still, they’re taking some good shots at this topic:

• Can I just use the finger that I found at Wendy's?
  
• what if you wanted to buy a gift for somebody? {You’re supposed to set your fingerprint in the store when you buy it.}
  
• How about on-line purchases?
  
• The computer makes it possible to do, in half an hour, tasks which were completely unnecessary before.
  
• I don't trust any person at electronics stores with my SS#, why would I trust them with [my finger print]?
  
• So, after dad dies, I'm gonna hafta keep his finger around to view his porn collection?
  
• The finger is nice but, how about I give them a stool sample.
  
• Why not just use what they're already going to force on us. Link the DVD to your national ID.