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AACS encryption key controversy

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The HD DVD encryption key controversy arose in April 2007 when the Motion Picture Association of America and the Advanced Access Content System License Authority (AACS LA) began issuing Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notices to websites publishing a 16 byte hexadecimal number which can be used as part of a method to circumvent the digital rights management on HD DVDs. The controversy escalated in the beginning of May 2007, when technology news site Digg removed numerous articles on the matter, and banned users reposting the information. Because the encryption key is not executable code and it may be illegal to publish, it is arguably an illegal number.

Those associated with the Free Software Movement and other groups opposed to the expansion of intellectual property rights criticize the arguments as the banning of a number, which they feel should not and cannot be controlled by a single person or group. Additionally, users of community based websites have criticized heavy-handed tactics in handling of the takedown notices by site administrators.

Background

Commercial HD DVDs integrate copy protection technology specified by the AACS LA. On 26 December 2006, a person using the alias muslix64 published a utility named BackupHDDVD and its source code for a working AACS decrypter on the DVD decryption forum at the website Doom9.org.[1] The program is a tool which can be used to decrypt AACS protected content once one knows the encryption key.[2] The user claimed to have found title and volume keys in main memory while playing HD DVD discs using a software player, and that finding them is not difficult.[3]

On 2 January 2007 muslix64 published a new version of his/her program, with volume key support.[4]

Details of how to find other title and volume keys were revealed on 12 January 2007 by other doom9.org forum members who had also found the keys of several movies in RAM while running the WinDVD media player application.

The AACS system's revocation mechanism can be used to revoke a specific key after it is known to have been compromised. This has happened with WinDVD.[5] In that case, the compromised players could still be used to break old titles but not newer releases as they would be released without encryption keys for the compromised software players requiring hackers to break other players. The latter alternative is not a desirable option, because it would result in legitimate users of compromised players being forced to upgrade or replace their player software in order to view new titles.

On or about 13 January 2007 a title key was posted on pastebin.com in form of a riddle, which was solved by entering terms in Google search engine, which revealed a number of search results. By converting these results to hexadecimal, a correct key could be formed. This was also reported on by Slashdot.[6] Later that day, the first pirated HD DVD, Serenity, was uploaded on a private torrent tracker.[7]

On 26 January 2007 the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) Licensing Authority confirmed that the encryption on high-definition DVDs had been bypassed.[8] It has revoked the published key, which cannot be used to decrypt AACS encrypted disks manufactured after 23 April 2007.[9]

On 4 March 2007 the user jx6bpm on doom9.org's forums claimed to reveal CyberLink's PowerDVD's key, and that it was the key in use by AnyDVD.[10]

DMCA notices

As early as 17 April 2007, AACS LA issued DMCA takedown notices in an apparent attempt to suppress the encryption key.[11] Notably, the notice cited above contains the encryption key in one of the URLs alleged to contain copyrighted material, making its publication potentially illegal in the United States. Following this, dozens of notices were sent to various websites hosted in the United States.[12] US news sources that have mentioned the key have also been served with notices. However, the encryption key is still widely available and has been turned into songs (similar to DeCSS), mugs, and shirts. [1] [2]

Digg.com

Wikinews has related news:

On 1 May 2007, technology news site Digg began removing posts containing the number, and in some cases, closing accounts which created those posts. The Digg community responded by creating a high volume of posts containing the key, many using creative ways of semi-directly or indirectly inserting the number, such as in song, in images (either representing the digits pictorially or directly representing bytes from the key as colors), and on merchandise.[13] At one point, Digg.com's "entire homepage was covered with links to the HD-DVD code or anti-Digg references."[14] Eventually the Digg administrators gave up and stopped removing such submissions, stating, "You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be."[15][16]

Other websites

In a response to the events occurring on Digg and the call to "Spread this number," the number was rapidly posted to thousands of pages across the Internet.[17] As in the case of the DeCSS controversy, the number has been widely distributed in various forms, including YouTube music videos, doctored photographs, and T-shirts.[18][19] As of of Tuesday afternoon, May 1, 2007, a Google search for the key returned 9,410 results,[20] while the same search the next morning returned nearly 300,000 results.[21]

References

  1. ^ Muslix64 (26 December 2006). "BackupHDDVD, a tool to decrypt AACS protected movies". Doom9's Forum. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Intel Corporation (2006-07-25). "Advanced Access Content System (AACS)" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "HD DVD Content Protection already hacked?". TechAmok. 2006-12-28. Retrieved 2007-01-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Muslix64 (2 January 2007). "BackupHDDVD, a tool to decrypt AACS protected movies". Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "AACS key revoked". 26 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "kad77" (13 January 2007). "Decryption Keys For HD-DVD Found, Confirmed". Slashdot. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Reimer, Jeremy (January 15, 2007). "First pirated HD DVD movie hits BitTorrent". Ars Technica.
  8. ^ "Hi-def DVD security is bypassed". BBC. 26 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "HD DVD, Blu-ray protection in question after attacks". Yahoo. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ jx6bpm (3 March 2007). "PowerDVD private key". Doom9's Forums. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "DMCA Takedown Notice". 17 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "AACS Takedowns Backfire". 1 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Digg.com Attempts To Suppress HD-DVD Revolt". 1 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Andy Greenberg (May 02, 2007), Digg's DRM Revolt, Forbes {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "DVD DRM row sparks user rebellion". BBC. 2 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Marcus Yam (May 2, 2007), AACS Key Censorship Leads to First Internet Riot
  17. ^ "Spread this number". 30 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Stone, Brad (2007-05-02). "In Web Uproar, Antipiracy Code Spreads Wildly". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-05-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Photoshop Rebels Rip Great HD DVD Clampdown". Wired News. 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2007-05-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Thomas Claburn (2 May 2007). "HD DVD Blu-Ray Decryption Key Widely Posted Online". Information Week. Dark Reading. Retrieved 2007-05-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Nick Farrell (2 May 2007). "09 f9 [...] is the number they tried to ban". The Inquirer. Retrieved 2007-05-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

See also

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