New Beastie Boys CD installs anti-piracy software without user consent
My friend picked up the new Beastie Boys album The 5 Boroughs and the first thing I noticed was the very large copyright blurb on the back, with a looming FBI graphic. Sure, Capitol records probably has good reason to remind its listening public that digital copyright infringement is illegal, but there’s more to it than that. Turns out the new Beastie Boys album automatically installs copy-protection software on a user’s machine, without their consent. Here’s a message posted to securityfocus.com:
Well I truly regret actually purchasing a copy of the new Beastie Boys album to support them.In other words, when you put the new CD in a computer, it automatically installs “something” on your machine. It’s not clear what that something does, but it’s clearly unsolicited.It seems that Capitol Records has some sort of new copy protection system,that automatically, silently, installs “helpful” copy protection software on MacOS and Windows as soon as you insert the CD into default systems.
I’m not sure exactly what it does yet, but I am sure regreting actually purchasing said media now… they don’t deserve my money if they choose to pull stupid stunts like this. Installing software without your permission sounds like viral malware behaviour to me. I certainly hope the AV companies put signatures into their products for this crap.
They include some sort of uninstaller buried on there for Windows, but I see no such thing for MacOS. If anyone has disassembled the aforementioned malware already and can save us some time with instructions on how to remove it…
thanks in advance.
caveat emptor, –dr
If you are like most of the computer-using public, you object to unsolicited installation of programs or scripts on your machine. Beastie Boys fans voiced their frustration at the official Beasties forum.
Viruses, Trojan horse, & Adware all fall under this category, and are considered “malicious.” So what makes it okay for a company to get away with this? Especially without any consent?
It might be different if it was against the law to not have anti-piracy software installed on your machine, but that’s clearly not the case. The absence of this software doesn’t guarantee copyright infringement or piracy, it’s a question of choice. And it shouldn’t be the record companies using these deceptive tactics to help influence users behavior. Unsolicited adware seeks to fill your monitor with popup ads that serve their own interests. How is this any different?
There’s also the question of what rights are given to those who went out and bought the album, and want to make a copy for themselves. I know plenty of people (music collectors, mind you) who make personal CDRs for their enjoyment, or burn copies for personal use (a “car copy” for example, that isn’t a big deal if lost or destroyed).
Does this mysterious software allow for MP3 ripping & encoding? What if I bought the the new album specifically to put on my iPod? Am I out of luck?
I’m upset because:
1.) I’m a huge music collector/enthusiast, averaging $50/week in vinyl and CD purchases. I also rip, burn, & encode music for my own personal enjoyment across many mediums (ipod, CD, minidisc, etc). I don’t use p2p programs, and I don’t pirate music. On the contrary, music is one of my favorite things in this world… As far as Capitol is concerned, I should be the ideal music consumer (except that I have taste).
2.) I’m a huge computer user, spending around 11 hours a day on a computer. I am also strongly opposed to trojan viruses, unsolicited installations, and all the other junk out there that has “good intentions”.
Bottom line: This kind of junk hurts computer users AND music lovers.
If anyone has any more information on this program (exactly what it does, uninstallation techniques, legality of this practice, etc) please leave a comment.
For the record, I’m not a big enough Beastie Boys fan to even consider buying this album, as they lost it after Check Your Head. Seriously.
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Ahhh i long for the days of taping me favorite songs from the radio.