Brazil set to use American DRM for TV

Brazil is a host country of some of the best hackers on the planet, and a government that is willing to break WTO rules to manufacture HIV/Aids medicine for its population against the desires of big American pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, it is with quite a lot of surprise and amusement to learn that they are planning on implementing American style DRM on their TV broadcasts.

We figure that the Brazilian hacker folks will have any Brazilian DRM solution busted within days if not weeks, and the long futile attempt of cracking and reimplementation of DRM. If anything this ought to give Brazilian hackers hands on experience in breaking American DRM codes and then figuring out how to hack other DRM systems based on their experience.

There is a lot of data on the internet on how to break DRM systems, so this might actually end up being a trivial exercise for Brazilian hackers in the first place.

What makes this more interesting is that according to BoingBoing

The Brazilian constitution demands that TV be “free and gratuitous” — something that can’t possibly be squared with a foreign-controlled DRM system that prevents saving, copying, and educational use of TV programs. Local activists are organizing — if you’re in Brazil, you need to get involved now. Source: BoingBoing

Given Brazil’s history, its willingness to break WTO treaties to help its people solve major problems, its own wildly successful hacker base, and the point of constitution of free TV for all, the idea that they are going to adopt DRM is contrary to all the things that Brazil is known for.

It would be interesting to get a detailed history of just how this decision that is contrary to Brazil’s own actions, and their philosophy has gotten shoved through to this point. If anyone knows, please let us know.