Aboriginal Archive Uses New DRM

ianare writes "An application that gives fresh new meaning to 'digital rights management' has been pioneered by Aboriginal Australians. It relies on a user's profile to control access to a multimedia archive. The need to create profiles based on a user's name, age, sex and standing within their community comes from traditions over what can and cannot be viewed. For example, men cannot view women's rituals, and people from one community cannot view material from another without first seeking permission. Images of the deceased cannot be viewed by their families. These requirements threw up issues surrounding how the material could be archived, as it was not only about preserving the information into a database in a traditional sense, but also about how people would access it depending on their gender, their relationship to other people, and where they were situated."

Comments

Just an FYI

[Anonymous Coward]

Aboriginal is considered a highly offensive term by some. The correct phrase is "spear chucking wogs"

what?

[Clay Pigeon -TPF-VS-]

"Images of the deceased cannot be viewed by their families."

Grandma died, time to take down her picture and burn it.

The hell with them

[m50d]

Straight down to -1 I'm sure, but if they're going to be that silly and discriminatory, let their culture rot.

Re:You're kidding, right?

[geekoid]

It's not a troll. Please learn what a troll is. At worst it's a flamebait, and it's not that. It's an honest statement. Plus, if it was either of those you did the worse thing one could do, reply. Second to that is Moderate.

"or that "the days of secret ceremonies are coming to and end"!?"
One just needs to look around and see the secret ceremonies of all types are coming to an end. 25 years from now they will be quaint.

"This is news on /. because it constitutes a complex and useful method of regulating user access to the archive based on the users characteristics."
I, in no way, indicated it should not be here on slashdot. I understand the challenge.

"WhoTF do you think you are to tell them that what they hold sacred is "superstition mumbo-jumba","

A rational human being. It is superstitious mumbo-jumbo, and will remain that way until someone can prove it works. I suggest applying the scientific model of discovery.