WHAT IS THE CBDTPA?

July 18, 2002 10:28 AM

WHAT IS THE CBDTPA? The law would force all new personal computers and digital home entertainment devices sold in the United States to have government-approved "policeware" built-in. This policeware would restrict your use of copyrighted material on these devices -- including music files and CD's, video clips, DVD's, e-books, and more.
posted by Niahmas (6 comments total)

This was also discussed here and its also been indicated that there might be enough public support against it to effectively kill it, at least for this year.

Not that this means that we should stop letting our congresscritters know how we feel. In fact, you might want to fax them as they'll probably respond more to a fax than a torrent of email.

BTW, the text of the bill can be found here.
posted by bshort at 11:03 AM on July 18, 2002

Time to build dem Linux boxen now...
posted by clevershark at 11:16 AM on July 18, 2002

Is that thing still around?
posted by delmoi at 2:57 PM on July 18, 2002

I guess Senator Disney has been given more bribes... er, campaign contribution to keep that bill going.
posted by clevershark at 6:20 PM on July 18, 2002

But on the plus side, PC sales spike off the chart immediately prior to CBDTPA being signed into law.

Twenty years from now we'll be whispering to our children and grandchildren stories about our once free society. That is, unless our good little citizen-children turn us into the authorities.
posted by fleener at 7:47 PM on July 18, 2002

A PC on every desktop = A telescreen on every desktop. This is of course echoing fleener's reference to "1984" by George Orwell.
posted by physics at 10:49 AM on July 19, 2002