AACS encryption key controversy

Internet users began circulating versions of this image, calling it the Free Speech Flag, in blog posts on dozens of websites and as user avatars on forums such as Digg. The first fifteen bytes of the 09 F9 key are contained in the RGB encoding of the five colors, with each color providing three bytes of the key. The byte "C0" is appended in the lower right corner (due to 16 not being divisible by 3).[1][2][3][4][5][6]

A controversy surrounding the AACS cryptographic key arose in April 2007 when the Motion Picture Association of America and the Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator, LLC (AACS LA) began issuing cease and desist letters[7] to websites publishing a 128-bit (16-byte) number, represented in hexadecimal as 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0[8][9] (commonly referred to as 09 F9),[10][11] a cryptographic key for HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. The letters demanded the immediate removal of the key and any links to it, citing the anti-circumvention provisions of the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

In response to widespread Internet postings of the key, the AACS LA issued various press statements, praising those websites that complied with their requests for acting in a "responsible manner" and warning that "legal and technical tools" were adapting to the situation.

The controversy was further escalated in early May 2007, when aggregate news site Digg received a DMCA cease and desist notice and then removed numerous articles on the matter and banned users reposting the information.[12] This sparked what some describe as a digital revolt[13] or "cyber-riot",[14] in which users posted and spread the key on Digg, and throughout the Internet en masse, thereby leading to a Streisand effect. The AACS LA described this situation as an "interesting new twist".[15]

  1. ^ Marcotte, John (May 1, 2007). "Free Speech Flag". Badmouth.net. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2007.
  2. ^ Bushell-Embling, Dylan (May 15, 2007). "Digg finds the key is safety in numbers". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  3. ^ S, Ben (March 1, 2011). "46 DC EA D3 17 FE 45 D8 09 23 EB 97 E4 95 64 10 D4 CD B2 C2". Yale Law & Technology. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2015. A 'PS3 Flag', an homage to its predecessor, the 'Free Speech Flag'
  4. ^ Thompson, Jeff (August 13, 2011). "AACS encryption key". Jeff Thompson. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015. An example of this is the so-called 'Free Speech Flag', seen above.
  5. ^ Crofton, Isaak (2015). Crypto Anarchy. Lulu Enterprises Incorporated. p. 160. ISBN 978-1329059801.
  6. ^ Kiyuna, A.; L. Conyers (2015). Cyberwarfare Sourcebook. Lulu.com. p. 291. ISBN 978-1329063945.
  7. ^ "AACS licensor complains of posted key". Chilling Effects. Archived from the original on May 5, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2007.
  8. ^ Rupert Goodwins (May 11, 2007). "An interesting sales tactic". ZDNet UK. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
  9. ^ Nick Farrell (May 2, 2007). "09 f9 11 02 9d 74 e3 5b d8 41 56 c5 63 56 88 c0 is the number they tried to ban". The Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. ^ Fred von Lohmann (May 2, 2007). "09 f9: A Legal Primer". EFF. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
  11. ^ Frederick Lane (May 5, 2007). "09 F9: An Unlikely Star Is Born Thanks to Digg.com". Sci-Tech Today. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
  12. ^ David Utter (May 2, 2007). "Digg Embroiled In HD DVD Controversy". WebProNews. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2007.
  13. ^ "Digg revolt over HD DVD codes". news.com.au. May 2, 2007. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
  14. ^ Michael S. Malone (May 3, 2007). "The First Amendment vs. Patents in Web 2.0". 6abc. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2007.
  15. ^ Darren Waters (May 4, 2007). "DRM group vows to fight bloggers". BBC. Archived from the original on May 7, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2007.