Free Speech Flag

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Free Speech Flag
Sample 09-F9 protest art, Free Speech Flag by John Marcotte.svg
Use Other
Proportion2:3 or 3:5
AdoptedMay 1, 2007
DesignShades of green, pink, blue and purple stripes, with byte "C0" appended in bottom right corner
Designed byJohn Marcotte

The Free Speech Flag is a symbol of personal liberty used to promote freedom of speech. Designed by artist John Marcotte, the flag and its colors correspond to a cryptographic key which enabled users to copy HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. It was created on May 1, 2007, during the AACS encryption key controversy.

Contents

Marcotte was motivated to create the flag after the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator (AACS LA) began issuing cease and desist letters to websites publishing the key 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 (commonly referred to as 09-F9).

In response to attempts to remove the key from the Internet, netizens publicized the cryptographic key on the news aggregator website Digg.

History

On April 30, 2007, a blogger named "Rudd-O" published the encryption key for HD DVDs and asked readers to share it widely. [1] Knowledge of this numeric key value allowed users to bypass digital rights management (DRM) and copy HD DVDs that previously could not be duplicated. [1] [2] News media reported, and Digg, a news aggregator and social media website, provided a way for users to vote on stories they felt were most newsworthy. [1] [2] [3] Votes by 15,000 Digg users drove an article about the encryption key to the front page of the site. [1] [3]

The Advanced Access Content System (AACS), the organization which controlled access to the HD DVD encryption key, sent a cease and desist letter to Digg on May 1, 2007. [1] [2] [3] [4] In its letter, AACS claimed that by publishing news articles on its website that reported on the encryption key, the website was engaging in illegal activity. [1] [2] [4] Articles by numerous journalists reporting on the news story were posted to Digg. [1] [2] [3] Jay Adelson, the CEO of Digg, announced that the website would abide by the AACS' requests and self-censor articles reporting on the encryption key. [1] [2] [4]

Adelson's decision to self-censor his website caused a backlash from the Digg community. "In trying to make the cracked issue go away", notes Jeremy Goldman in his 2012 book Going Social, "the AACS's letter (and Digg's response) succeeded only in making the story bigger." [2] Digg users made sure, by their votes and online participation, that all front-page stories on Digg were about the encryption key. [1] [2] [4] Digg founder Kevin Rose observed: "The Digg community is one that loves to have their voice heard, and this has been something that struck a chord with them." [2]

After listening to complaints from Digg's community about Adelson's decision to self-censor news stories about the encryption key, Rose wrote a message to his users reversing this decision. [3] He announced that Digg would stop self-censorship and he acknowledged that he understood the message from Digg's members: "After seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you've made it clear ... you'd rather see Digg go down fighting than bow to a bigger company. Effective immediately, we won't delete stories or comments containing the code, and we will deal with whatever the consequences might be." [1] [2] [3]

Design and message

John Marcotte, a writer and editor at the website Badmouth, created the Free Speech Flag with the intent of disseminating the secret HD DVD code on the Internet, publishing it on the website on May 1, 2007. [5] [6] In his initial post announcing his flag, Marcotte criticized how the mere use of numbers had become intellectual property. [6]

"We want to start a movement", Marcotte wrote. "A movement to reclaim personal liberties and decorporatize the laws of our nation." [6] He encouraged online viewers of his work to spread his message throughout the Internet and to freely publicize his work. [6] "To that end we have made a flag, a symbol to show support for personal freedoms. Spread it as far and wide as you can." [6]

Marcotte embedded the secret HD DVD key into the colors of the flag itself, using the flag hex code format colors #09F911 #029D74 #E35BD8 #4156C5 #635688. [6] [7] By appending the byte "C0" to the bottom right corner of the flag, Marcotte implied that the act of publishing a number is "Crime Zero". [6] He originally released the flag "freely" with "rights for people to make similar, derivative works", [6] but later released it into the public domain. [8] [9]

Impact

PlayStation 3 free speech flag, created in honor of the original Free Speech Flag. Free-speech-flag-ps3.svg
PlayStation 3 free speech flag, created in honor of the original Free Speech Flag.

Soon after it was first published, bloggers publicized the Free Speech Flag, increasing its popularity and disseminating the code within the flag. [11] The flag entered popular culture as Internet users chose creative ways to spread knowledge of the HD DVD encryption key. [7] [12]

Users wore the code emblazoned on T-shirts, added it to poems, integrated the code into the lyrics of hip hop songs, and created music utilizing its numeric values. [7] [12] Musician Keith Burgun composed a song using the code titled "Oh Nine, Eff Nine", and published it on YouTube. [1] [7] [12] The sole lyrics to the song were the numbers of the digital code itself: "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0". [12] [13] "I thought it was a source of comedy that they were trying so futilely to quell the spread of this number," Burgun said. "The ironic thing is, because they tried to quiet it down it’s the most famous number on the Internet." [13]

Matthew Rimmer, senior lecturer at Australian National University, commented upon the legality of the innovative ways Internet users like Marcotte chose to publicize the secret HD DVD code: "I don't think it's necessarily designed to stay within the bounds of the law. It's just a fun way to comment on what's happened. I think that it's designed to show that the law is absurd or ridiculous and should be abolished." [7]

Antonio Ceraso of Pennsylvania State University placed the flag's conception within a larger framework—"the formation of a communal ethos...the 09 F9 tribe"—and posed the question: "Would five striped colors arranged into a flag constitute an anti-circumvention device under the DMCA?" [12]

The flag inspired Jeff Thompson, assistant professor and program director of Visual Art and Technology at the Stevens Institute of Technology, to create a sound file of the AACS encryption key as a melody. [14] After a similar encryption key was cracked for the PlayStation 3 gaming system, a new flag was created by a different user as a tribute to Marcotte's original flag. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Encryption</span> Process of converting plaintext to ciphertext

In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can decipher a ciphertext back to plaintext and access the original information. Encryption does not itself prevent interference but denies the intelligible content to a would-be interceptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeCSS</span> Free open-source program to decode DVDs with encryption

DeCSS is one of the first free computer programs capable of decrypting content on a commercially produced DVD video disc. Before the release of DeCSS free and open source operating systems could not play encrypted video DVDs.

High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of digital copy protection developed by Intel Corporation to prevent copying of digital audio and video content as it travels across connections. Types of connections include DisplayPort (DP), Digital Visual Interface (DVI), and High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), as well as less popular or now deprecated protocols like Gigabit Video Interface (GVIF) and Unified Display Interface (UDI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augmentative and alternative communication</span> Techniques used for those with communication impairments

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including congenital impairments such as cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment and autism, and acquired conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. AAC can be a permanent addition to a person's communication or a temporary aid. Stephen Hawking used AAC to communicate through a speech-generating device.

Broadcast encryption is the cryptographic problem of delivering encrypted content over a broadcast channel in such a way that only qualified users can decrypt the content. The challenge arises from the requirement that the set of qualified users can change in each broadcast emission, and therefore revocation of individual users or user groups should be possible using broadcast transmissions, only, and without affecting any remaining users. As efficient revocation is the primary objective of broadcast encryption, solutions are also referred to as revocation schemes.

Below is a timeline of notable events related to cryptography.

Cryptography is the practice and study of encrypting information, or in other words, securing information from unauthorized access. There are many different cryptography laws in different nations. Some countries prohibit export of cryptography software and/or encryption algorithms or cryptoanalysis methods. Some countries require decryption keys to be recoverable in case of a police investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BackupHDDVD</span> AACS decryption software

BackupHDDVD is a small computer software utility program available in command line and GUI versions which aids in the decryption of commercial HD DVD discs protected by the Advanced Access Content System. It is used to back up discs, often to enable playback on hardware configurations without full support for HDCP. The program's source code was posted online, but no licence information was given.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal number</span> Number representing illegal information

An illegal number is a number that represents information which is illegal to possess, utter, propagate, or otherwise transmit in some legal jurisdiction. Any piece of digital information is representable as a number; consequently, if communicating a specific set of information is illegal in some way, then the number may be illegal as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Access Content System</span> Standard for content distribution and digital rights management

The Advanced Access Content System (AACS) is a standard for content distribution and digital rights management, intended to restrict access to and copying of the post-DVD generation of optical discs. The specification was publicly released in April 2005. The standard has been adopted as the access restriction scheme for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD). It is developed by AACS Licensing Administrator, LLC, a consortium that includes Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Warner Bros., IBM, Toshiba and Sony. AACS has been operating under an "interim agreement" since the final specification has not yet been finalized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blu-ray</span> Digital optical disc format

Blu-ray is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006. It was designed to supersede the DVD format, capable of storing several hours of high-definition video. The main application of Blu-ray is as a medium for video material such as feature films and for the physical distribution of video games for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The name "Blu-ray" refers to the blue laser used to read the disc, which allows information to be stored at a greater density than is possible with the longer-wavelength red laser used for DVDs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digg</span> Social media/news aggregator website

Digg, stylized in lowercase as digg, is an American news aggregator with a curated front page, aiming to select stories specifically for the Internet audience such as science, trending political issues, and viral Internet issues. It was launched in its current form on July 31, 2012, with support for sharing content to other social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Doom9 is a website featuring information on digital audio and video manipulation and digital copyrights. It is also the forum username of the author of the page, an Austrian who was a college student at the time of the creation of the site. The site's tagline is "The Definitive DVD Backup Resource".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD DVD</span> Obsolete optical disc format

HD DVD is an obsolete high-density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high-definition video. Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security of Advanced Access Content System</span>

The security of Advanced Access Content System (AACS) has been a subject of discussion amongst security researchers, high definition video enthusiasts, and consumers at large since its inception. A successor to Content Scramble System (CSS), the digital rights management mechanism used by commercial DVDs, AACS was intended to improve upon the design of CSS by addressing flaws which had led to the total circumvention of CSS in 1999. The AACS system relies on a subset difference tree combined with a certificate revocation mechanism to ensure the security of high definition video content in the event of a compromise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryptography</span>

Cryptography, or cryptology, is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior. More generally, cryptography is about constructing and analyzing protocols that prevent third parties or the public from reading private messages. Modern cryptography exists at the intersection of the disciplines of mathematics, computer science, information security, electrical engineering, digital signal processing, physics, and others. Core concepts related to information security are also central to cryptography. Practical applications of cryptography include electronic commerce, chip-based payment cards, digital currencies, computer passwords, and military communications.

The Content Scramble System (CSS) is a digital rights management (DRM) and encryption system employed on many commercially produced DVD-Video discs. CSS utilizes a proprietary 40-bit stream cipher algorithm. The system was introduced around 1996 and was first compromised in 1999.

The WIPO Copyright and Performances and Phonograms Treaties Implementation Act, is a part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a 1998 U.S. law. It has two major portions, Section 102, which implements the requirements of the WIPO Copyright Treaty, and Section 103, which arguably provides additional protection against the circumvention of copy prevention systems and prohibits the removal of copyright management information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AACS encryption key controversy</span> Controversy regarding copyright

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 began issuing cease and desist letters 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, 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).

A user revolt is a social conflict in which users of a website collectively and openly protest a website host's or administrator's instructions for using the website. Sometimes it happens that the website hosts can control a website's use in certain ways, but the hosts also depend on the users to comply with voluntary social rules in order for the website to operate as the hosts would like. A user revolt occurs when the website users protest against the voluntary social rules of a website, and use the website in a way that is in conflict with the wishes of the website host or administrators.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Li, Charlene; Josh Bernoff (2011). Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (Expanded and Revised ed.). Harvard Business Review Press. pp. 3–8, 288–289. ISBN   978-1-4221-6198-2. OCLC   172980082.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Goldman, Jeremy (2012). Going Social . Amacom. pp.  126–127. ISBN   978-0-8144-3255-6. OCLC   793973948.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barlow, Aaron (2007). Blogging America. Praeger. pp.  62–65. ISBN   978-0-275-99872-1. OCLC   191675023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Jaffe, Joseph (2007-10-19). Join the Conversation. John Wiley & Sons. pp.  90–92. ISBN   978-0-470-13732-1. OCLC   647762840.
  5. ↑ Marcotte, John (2014). "Badmouth Crew". Badmouth. Archived from the original on 30 September 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Marcotte, John (May 1, 2007). "Free Speech Flag". Badmouth.net. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Bushell-embling, Dylan (May 15, 2007). "Digg finds the key is safety in numbers". Brisbane Times . Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  8. ↑ Crofton, Isaak (2015). Crypto Anarchy. p. 160. ISBN   978-1-329-05980-1.
  9. ↑ Kiyuna, A.; L. Conyers (2015). Cyberwarfare Sourcebook. p. 291. ISBN   978-1-329-06394-5.
  10. 1 2 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. Yale University. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2015. A 'PS3 Flag', an homage to its predecessor, the 'Free Speech Flag'
  11. ↑ Sheffield, Jessica (2010). Weblogs and Activism: A Social Movement Perspective on the Blogosphere (Ph.D.). Pennsylvania State University. p. 16. ISBN   9781124487861. OCLC   707492881 . Retrieved October 29, 2010. (PDF)
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Ceraso, Antonio (2009). Crowd Technologies: Rhetoric and Power in Peer Production Discourse (Ph.D.). Pennsylvania State University. pp. 56, 97. ISBN   9781109375428. OCLC   476852578 . Retrieved October 29, 2015. (PDF)
  13. 1 2 Stone, Brad (May 3, 2007). "In Web Uproar, Antipiracy Code Spreads Wildly". The New York Times . Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  14. ↑ Thompson, Jeff (August 13, 2011). "AACS encryption key". Jeff Thompson, Assistant Professor and Program Director of Visual Art & Technology at the Stevens Institute of Technology. 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.

Further reading

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