Mozilla slammed over Firefox DRM scheme

[Littlebits]

Content source

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2014/05/15/mozilla-drm/1

An agreement between Mozilla and Adobe to build digital rights management (DRM) technology into the popular Firefox web browser has raised the ire of the software freedom and privacy communities.

The move sees Mozilla implementing Adobe's Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) into the Firefox web browser in order to allow the encrypted streaming of video and audio footage from services like Netflix and LoveFilm, regardless of host operating system. However, it also gives away control of how the browser operates from the user to large corporations like Adobe, and that's something Mozilla itself has raised concerns about in the past.

'Mozilla would have preferred to see the content industry move away from locking content to a specific device (so called node-locking), and worked to provide alternatives,' claimed Mozilla's chief technology officer Andreas Gal in an announcement on the matter. 'Instead, this approach has now been enshrined in the W3C [World Wide Web Consortium] EME specification. With Google and Microsoft shipping W3C EME and content providers moving over their content from plugins to W3C EME Firefox users are at risk of not being able to access DRM restricted content (e.g. Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu), which can make up more than 30% of the downstream traffic in North America. We have come to the point where Mozilla not implementing the W3C EME specification means that Firefox users have to switch to other browsers to watch content restricted by DRM.'

While Mozilla might not be happy about being rail-roaded into implementing EME, free software campaigners are even less impressed - despite the use of a sandboxing system which Mozilla claims will prevent the DRM module from sniffing information about the user and his or her computer.

'The Free Software Foundation is deeply disappointed in Mozilla's announcement. The decision compromises important principles in order to alleviate misguided fears about loss of browser marketshare. It allies Mozilla with a company hostile to the free software movement and to Mozilla's own fundamental ideals,' claimed the Free Software Foundation's executive director John Sullivan of the move. 'To see Mozilla compromise without making any public effort to rally users against this supposed "forced choice" is doubly disappointing. They should reverse this decision. But whether they do or do not, we call on them to join us by devoting as many of their extensive resources to permanently eliminating DRM as they are now devoting to supporting it.'

With streaming services on the rise and Mozilla's rivals implementing EME, however, it's hard to see how the company could have kept all its users - both free-software campaigners and plain old users who just want to watch House of Cards - happy.

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[Moose]

Thanks! For the information!

 

[Ink]

How DRM harms our Computer Security
"More fundamentally, though, DRM creates a massive security hole by requiring users to give up some control of their own computers." - Read more: eff.org

 

[Littlebits]

I really don't know what is going on with Mozilla, first they manage to get boycott because of their previous CEO, then release Firefox 29 (the most controversial release ever) striped of many features, Chrome-like UI and removed complete theme support, broke over 500 extensions that will never be supported again because these extension developers moved to making Chrome extensions instead, and then they announce that future versions of Firefox will include ads which can not be blocked by extensions now they are adding DRM closed-source media codes to Firefox. Is anyone else concerned by Mozilla's actions? Pale Moon will not include DRM if you still want to use Firefox-based browser without these security holes. Open-source software should never have closed-source codes included. What will Mozilla do next? include some type of closed-source spyware? Looks like Mozilla is falling apart and only going to get worse. Its very sad because Firefox was the choice browser for many users, now most have moved to Google Chrome and Firefox clones that still have the removed features.

Thanks.

 

[Koroke San]

Too bad for Mozilla Firefox users.

 

[raydenalli]

Important info for anyone using Mozilla products. Thanks for sharing. -Ray

 

[Cats-4_Owners-2]

I've really tried keeping an open mind while continuing to like Firefox which had been my favorite browser all through it's attempt at finding itself, and even after it's success was followed by the ups & downs of bloating & slow performance, we've stuck together like old friends who've developed problems, even caring enough to work on getting through them. Now, it feels like an old friend has gone out & gotten a face lift secretly without considering my opinions; and after all the wonderful extensions we've shared, how am I supposed to feel after they've been kicked out of their home? Firefox, it's like I don't even know you anymore. Well, I have a confession; and it's that I've been seeing other browsers who've been giving me what I've missed sharing with you for so long. I hope it's not too late, or we might end up deciding it's all over.