Media sellers love to know what's going on in your PC. So, they install software to either track it or control it. They have a legitimate concern. People keep buying their products, like movies, audio CDs, etc. and using them in ways the media company doesn't like. They don't want you buying a music CD and copying it for your friends. To them, that's stealing. So, they take invasive action to stop it.

Windows users rely on point and click software to manage their PCs much of the time. So, when spyware and malware enter their system, they are at the mercy of the commercial anti-* industry to remove those bugs for them. It's bad enough that hackers, criminals, and on occasion the software vender that sold your that copy of Windows install nasty programs that are extremely difficult to find and remove. But, now a music CD distributor has jumped on board to provide more deep layered hackery on your PC, to further control what you can and can't do with your PC!

Mark's Sysinternal outlines the issue, in a personal account of finding and then his experience removing Sony's spyware/malware/virus/trojan/Digital Rights Management software.

If you ever buy music CDs, or any other form of entertainment media, you must read this article.

This topic is all over the blogosphere, far up the ranks today on BlogsNow. My guess is it's bad press for Sony, but then they are all like this. So, as long as people buy media, they are going to be targets of Orwellian corporations.

It may be why sales are tanking and not so much downloading's fault. Is it possible most consumers don't mind paying for stuff, but just resent the strings attached?

Posted in media | music | security | tech jasonn's blog