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BMW plant angeblich eine rein elektrische Version des BMW i8, die mit einer Akkuladung bis zu 400 Kilometer weit kommen soll. Der Zweisitzer wäre damit eine Alternative zum Tesla S, der allerdings eine Reiselimousine darstellt. (BMW, GreenIT)

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Apple stellt das Thunderbolt-Display nicht mehr her und verkauft nur noch Restmengen. Das 27 Zoll große Display wurde schon 2011 vorgestellt und bleibt vorerst ohne Nachfolger. Damit gibt es von Apple keine externen Monitore mehr. (Retina-Display, Display)

Apples neuer Browser Safari 10 wird Nutzer älterer Betriebssysteme nicht im Regen stehen lassen. Apple ermöglicht es, ihn auch unter OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) und OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) zu verwenden. Aktuell gibt es die Vorabversion nur für zahlende Entwickler. (Safari, Apple)

The unauthorized copying and distribution of copyrighted content is a multi-billion dollar puzzle that entertainment industry companies are desperate to solve.

As such, anti-piracy companies are always trying to come up with new ways to stop people from sharing that material online. With that an almost impossible task, some have taken to watermarking instead, with the aim of tracking content and providing a trail back to the source.

What watermarking (so-called ‘Social DRM’) offers over more traditional DRM mechanisms is that it limits inconvenience to the end user and doesn’t hinder file compatibility across devices. However, it does have serious privacy implications for those using ‘infected’ files.

This problem has become a thorn in the side of a group of researchers calling themselves the Institute for Biblio-Immunology. In an email sent to TorrentFreak this week, the group detailed its work against the BooXtream watermarking system offered by Dutch company Icontact.

It all began when publisher Verso Books published an eBook version of Aaron Swartz’s ‘The Boy Who Could Change the World’. This edition of the book prompted an angry response from some quarters and the addition of BooXtream watermarks only made matters worse.

The problem is that BooXtream embeds the personal details of the eBook buyer into the book itself, and this stays with the file forever. If that book turns up anywhere where it shouldn’t, that purchaser can be held responsible.

Sean B. Palmer, the “virtual executor” of Aaron Swartz, subsequently asked Verso to remove the watermarks. They refused and it lit a fire under the Institute for Biblio-Immunology (IBI).

After a long process dissecting BooXtream’s ‘Social DRM’ the researchers have now published a lengthy communique which reveals how the watermarking system works and can be defeated.

Speaking with TorrentFreak, IBI says its motivation is clear. Books should inform buyers, not breach their privacy.

“Books should be used as tools for disseminating knowledge and information. What ‘social DRM’ watermarking systems do instead is turn books into tools of surveillance and oppression by monitoring who shares what knowledge, where,” IBI explain.

“We don’t like this, and because the publisher Verso has refused to remove the watermarks themselves, we decided to do it for them, and to show everyone how these systems work.”

But there are bigger issues at stake. While people in the West take the freedom to read books of their choosing for granted, not everyone has that luxury.

“Imagine if a watermarked ebook contains someone’s name (as many do). Suppose that someone is reading that watermarked ebook under a regime that bans the particular kind of material covered in that book,” IBI add.

“If the operatives of the regime see the watermark, they would then be able to arrest and perhaps even execute the purchaser of the ebook if they too are living under the same regime.”

But matters of life and death aside, IBI say they believe that people should not only be able to read whatever they want, they should also be able to share that knowledge with others.

“That’s how information spreads across cultures, through unrestrained, free propagation of knowledge. Watermarking systems attempt to corrupt these vectors of knowledge transmission by identifying and then filing legal action against some readers,” they conclude.

The lengthy report can be found here. Much of it is fairly technical but in a follow-up email, IBI pointed TF to a Github page containing a script to automate the processes detailed in their communique.

It’s likely that BooXtream will respond to this provocation so the war for free access to information and privacy isn’t over just yet.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Hollywood's main copyright lobby has warned the EU not to adopt new laws which could ban the use of geo-blocking in EU countries.

The EU is aiming to remove geographical restrictions when it comes to accessing audio and visual programming, such as streaming Spotify or Netflix, within member countries as part of its Digital Single Market reform.

But addressing the CineEurope convention this week, MPAA Chairman and CEO Chris Dodd urged the EU to reconsider their actions, and warned that these changes could mean fewer movies, and higher prices for consumers.

"While the stated goals of these proposals are laudable – offering greater choice to European consumers and strengthening cultural diversity – in reality, these ideas could actually cause great harm to Europe’s film industries and its consumers," said Dodd.

"The European Union is made up of 28 different nations with different cultures, different languages, and different tastes. Forcing every film to be marketed and released the same way everywhere, at the same time, is a recipe for failure," he added.

"The ability of filmmakers and distributors to market and release their films where, how, and when they think best gives them the greatest chance to succeed."

Dodd urged the industry insiders attending the convention to put pressure on their elected representatives.

The European Commission will unveil their detailed plans for the audio-visual sector later this year.

Zur Zeit der Dota-Mod schnappte man sich einfach vier Freunde und zockte als Team los - manchmal mit Erfolg, manchmal ohne. Doch was ist heute bei Preisgeldern in Millionenhöhe und enormem Druck bei der Zusammenstellung eines professionellen E-Sport-Teams wichtig? (E-Sport, Interview)

China hat den schnellsten Computer der Welt, deutsche Haushalte werden auf Smart Meter umgerüstet und die EU-Kommission fürchtet sich vor verschlüsseltem Spam. Sieben Tage und viele Meldungen im Überblick. (Golem-Wochenrückblick, Spam)

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