Windows Media DRM

Before too much FUD spreads, Matt Calder weighs in with Microsoft's official position on the recent DRM (digital rights management) debacle. This is slightly more proactive than their earlier “we're not going to do anything about it” message:

(1) While this issue is not the result of any exploit of Windows Media DRM, we do recognize it may cause problems for some of our customers. To help mitigate these problems, Microsoft is committed to providing an update to Windows Media Player in the next 30 days that would allow the end user more control over when and how any pop ups display in the licensce acquisition process.
(2) Customers who want to protect themselves today should treat this as they would any other web page that is attempting to install malicious software. If they are on Windows XP install Service Pack 2. If they're not running Windows XP, they can install a pop-up blocker and tighten the security settings in Internet Explorer to not allow the automatic installation of Active X controls.
(3) Customers should also work to download content from sources they trust, and should be leery of content coming from suspicious 3rd parties.

DRM protects the publishers, not necessarily the consumers – it's a “necessary” evil. WMA and WMV files without DRM shouldn't give you anything more than audio and/or video. In other words, unprotected content is safe – which sounds absolutely absurd. If someone sends you a file that requires a license, might I suggest getting the file from the originating source instead? That, and you might consider turning off the setting to automatically acquire licenses for protected content (found in the Windows Media Player 10 Options panel, under the Privacy tab). Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater; Windows Media is still a fantastic format.

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