The challenge facing Microsoft is how to convince the skeptics that Palladium, which the company says will revolutionize computer security and digital rights management (DRM), isn't all a plot to gain ever more control of how technology evolves. PC users claiming this is another insidious Redmond plot and privacy advocates questioning whether putting Microsoft in charge of computer security is like putting the fox in charge of guarding the hen house. Press Read More for further info. When Microsoft talks about Palladium controlling information after it is sent, stopping unauthorized programs from running, and salting away data, many eyebrows are arched. Hoofnagle point to two patents Microsoft took out late last year for a DRM system, saying such a system could be the kernel of what Palladium will shape up as, with the potential of putting Microsoft in the position of blocking, or at least steering, users from non-Microsoft-approved applications and software. "Many of the desirable elements [of Palladium] can be obtained without a system of authentication and control. The way Microsoft wants to solve these problems is to be the gatekeeper of identity." For Jason Catlett, the privacy advocate and head of Junkbusters.com, Palladium appears just as invasive and flawed as Passport, Microsoft's online-authentication scheme that rankled privacy groups. "Microsoft keeps re-labeling their plans for controlling the world's personal data," he says. "I don't think any number of new names will make it palatable for Microsoft to be in charge of so much information." News Source: internetnews.com
Story Link: Is Microsoft's Palladium A Trojan Horse?