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Digital shackles raise hackles

Last updated on July 23, 2020

The Beeb reports on Western Digital’s decision to limit file sharing of certain kinds of files using its Anywhere Access software. This is likely to generate as much if not more backlash than the Belkin router “parental controls” spamming fiasco of 2003. It smacks of someone in legal cautioning the company about limiting liability, but hardware companies are better off excluding the feature wholesale than driving bad PR in taking the moral high grand regarding what their customers should be able to do. Let DRM do its job. Or not.

This move is particularly ill-timed as more options are opening up for the legal sharing of music.