So… What Is DRM, Anyway?

You’ve heard this acronym a million times by now, haven’t you? You nod your head and play along, pretending to be totally offended by the audacity EA has in making everyone play online through DRM. But really… what is a DRM?

Firstly, DRM (for those who support it) stands for digital rights management. DRM “…is technology that controls what you can do with the digital media and devices you own.“

But let’s be clear in stating that DRM is not actually about rights and is instead more about restrictions. These techniques are not widely accepted and have proven to be more of a burden on legitimate customers than pirates. Therefore, DRM (for those who oppose it) stands for digital restrictions management.

Defective by Design states in no uncertain terms that…

DRM is designed to take all of the incredible possibilities enabled by digital technologies and place them under the control of a few, who can then micromanage and track everything we do with our media. This creates the potential for massive digital book burnings and large scale surveillance over people’s media viewing habits… DRM creates a damaged good. It prevents you from doing what would normally be possible if it wasn’t there, and this is creating a dangerous situation for freedom, privacy and censorship.

They certainly aren’t wrong. Many can understand the industry side of the argument, stating that companies need to protect their products–but at what cost?

Find out more and take action against one of the largest growing movements in the gaming industry.