Understanding the broadcast flag: a threat analysis model

The broadcast flag is supposed to protect digital broadcast content from unauthorized distribution. This paper critically examines the broadcast flag as a security mechanism in the context of digital content control. A threat model analysis from the computer security field is presented as a framework for evaluating the flag. The model identifies stated and potential goals of the flag's proponents and evaluates how well the flag protects these goals from diverse attacks. The paper finds that the flag does not adequately protect content from Internet redistribution and highlights a new intellectual property paradigm that the broadcast flag does protect.