Some congress people in the US want to introduce a new law called the Security Systems Standards and Certification Act (SSSCA). Backed by the entertainment industry (movies, music) the SSSCA mandates that any digital device, hardware or software, must utilize and recognize certified security technologies.

This means every piece of software, every PC, every video card, hard drive, CPU, motherboard, etc; every PDA, every DVD-player and every digital movie media; every CD player & audio CD; absolutely every consumer and enterprise digital device. The use or sale of any non-SSSCA certified device leads to civil penalties up to federal felonies.

As reported here Intel and Microsoft are against this law.

Les Vadasz, Intel’s executive vice president said: In a world where digital content can be copied and then zapped around fast networks, the entertainment companies see every person with a personal computer and network connection as a potential thief. To counter even the possibility that people might make unauthorized copies, the entertainment industry sneers at countervailing public interests. Under the DMCA, we are already losing the “fair use” rights that are part of the nation’s law and tradition — the right to make personal copies, for backups and playback on other devices, and to use small parts of copyrighted materials in other works without paying the copyright owner.

Eight tech-industry chief executives, including Intel’s Craig Barrett and Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer sent a letter to the movie studio chiefs. The letter, released Wednesday, politely rejects federal regulation while seeking cooperation between tech and entertainment interests.

More info: SSCA, AnandTech

• March 3,2002