The center of the internet revolution doesn't want to be the center of the internet revolution.

Read it in their own words:

Hey all,

I just wanted to explain what some of you have been noticing around some stories that have been submitted to Digg on the HD DVD encryption key being cracked.

This has all come up in the past 24 hours, mostly connected to the HD-DVD hack that has been circulating online, having been posted to Digg as well as numerous other popular news and information websites. We’ve been notified by the owners of this intellectual property that they believe the posting of the encryption key infringes their intellectual property rights. In order to respect these rights and to comply with the law, we have removed postings of the key that have been brought to our attention.

Whether you agree or disagree with the policies of the intellectual property holders and consortiums, in order for Digg to survive, it must abide by the law. Digg’s Terms of Use, and the terms of use of most popular sites, are required by law to include policies against the infringement of intellectual property. This helps protect Digg from claims of infringement and being shut down due to the posting of infringing material by others.

Our goal is always to maintain a purely democratic system for the submission and sharing of information - and we want Digg to continue to be a great resource for finding the best content. However, in order for that to happen, we all need to work together to protect Digg from exposure to lawsuits that could very quickly shut us down.

Thanks for your understanding,

Jay
[link][via digg]

They didn't go to court to try and determine whether or not posting these simple numbers, they just took the content-holders words as gospel: "they believe the posting of the encryption key infringes their intellectual property rights." It's good to see we don't have courts anymore, you just get a threatning memo, assume it to be truth and act as the corporations want you to act. This is a much more efficent system than the old one, with all the judges, juries and trials.

And aren't their rights to protect a string of numbers pretty much over now that the numbers in question have been made into a pretty decent pop song by Dinosaur Lightning?

"Our goal is always to maintain a purely democratic system for the submission and sharing of information"

Is it? If you censor information like the HD-DVD key and delete the accounts of users who dared to spread this information how are you supporting a "democratic system for the ...sharing of information"?

Democratic
- Of, characterized by, or advocating democracy: democratic government; a democratic union.
- Of or for the people in general; popular: a democratic movement; democratic art forms.
- Believing in or practicing social equality: “a proper democratic scorn for bloated dukes and lords” (George du Maurier).

So by giving in to the "dukes and lords" of copyright by deleting information that is literally everywhere on the internet (including in the comments of almost every story on digg) how are you acting democratic?

Looks to me like Digg just wants to cover its ass before it gets acquired by some big corporation. Isn't the whole point of having at least one independent website so that there would be a place on the internet where information could be spread in a democratic fashion? IE: Having no control by rich gatekeepers (like those who control most websites) and by allowing your users to democratically vote stories up and down... Kinda like digg... At least before the Lords of Digg started deleting the stories because of fear. They did not delete the stories to improve democracy on the internet. They did it to make sure you knew, even on the once democratic digg, you cannot spread information that the Lords don't want you to know about.

As the good people over at download squad wrote, HD-DVD key fiasco is an example of 21st century digital revolt and Digg doesn't want to be a part of it. They'd prefer if you didn't point your browser to digg looking for real information. Their vision of Digg is a site where you can enjoy the latest gossip, tv, movies and other such meaningless information items. They don't want you to get confused and think that just because this is the one place in the world where a group of individuals, with no accounting for money or power, can vote individually on a story and watch it rise to the front page through their democratic activism, only to see it deleted by the Lords who run digg, the people who think their opinion of when it's time to cover their own ass is more important than your right to free speech, to protest, to spread information.

Watch as your internet gets sold.

Watch as they build walled gardens to keep the good information separate from the bad.

Watch your future end.