U.S. Copyright Office seeks changes to anti-piracy law derided by white-hat hackers
The U.S. Copyright Office is calling for wide-ranging reforms of an anti-piracy law that critics say restricts the “right to tinker” and puts white-hat cybersecurity researchers in legal jeopardy. In a little-noticed report published last week, the office questions the “overall operation and effectiveness” of Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. The section makes it a federal crime to to circumvent or get around special “technological protection measures,” designed to prevent piracy of digital products. The law was designed to protect movies, recorded music or books from endless duplication and distribution online. Critics of the section say that — because so many things now include software, and most has some form of anti-piracy protection — it’s effectively illegal to repair, tinker with or even look for security flaws in almost any kind of “smart” or connected product, despite an exemption under the la for security testing. “The current exemption includes a requirement that security researchers obtain prior permission” for any […]
The post U.S. Copyright Office seeks changes to anti-piracy law derided by white-hat hackers appeared first on Cyberscoop.
Continue reading U.S. Copyright Office seeks changes to anti-piracy law derided by white-hat hackers