Hardware restrictions (sometimes called Hardware DRM[1][2][3][4][5][6]) refers to restrictions in any device that places technical restrictions on what content can run/play on said device or what users can do with certain content. Hardware restrictions can be used with software DRM and digital signatures. Hardware restrictions are common on video game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Wii and many others) and other devices like Macintosh computers[7], the iPhone[8], the iPad, the iPod and the Amazon Kindle.
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High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is a form of digital copy protection developed to prevent copying of digital audio and video content as it travels across connections (eg. from a Blu-Ray player to a TV)
The SIM lock in mobile phones is a form of hardware restriction.
Trusted Computing, while described as a security measure, has the potential of denying users access to some of their data.
Some Intel processors are sold with some features "locked", that can later be unlocked after payment.[9][10]
Intel insider, a technology that provides a "protected path" for digital content[11], can be considered a form of DRM.[12][13][14]
Some devices implement a feature called "verified boot", "trusted boot" or "secure boot", which will only allow signed software to run on the device, usually from the device manufacturer. This is considered a restriction if the users do not have the ability to disable it.
Some Android devices (with the notable exception of "official line", the Nexus series) come with the bootloader locked. The process of overcoming those restrictions is called rooting.
Several Apple Inc. devices feature several restrictions. In the iPhone case, those are designed to prevent the installation of application, only allowing apps from the official App Store.
Verified boot[15] is used in some Chromebooks with Google Chrome OS, with the stated goal of ensuring a malware-free system, but can be disabled by the users, by entering the "developer mode".
If a device only runs software approved by the hardware vendor, and a certain version of a free software program is allowed to run on the device, the user cannot exercise the rights he theoretically has, because he cannot install modified versions.
Another case of trusted boot is the One Laptop per Child XO laptop which will only boot from software signed by a private cryptographic key known only to the OLPC non-profit organisation. However, the laptop and the OLPC organisation provide a way to disable the restrictions, by requesting a "developer key" unique to that laptop, over the Internet, waiting 24 hours to receive it, installing it, and running the firmware command "disable-security". The stated goal is to deter mass theft of laptops from children or via distribution channels, by making the laptops refuse to boot, making it hard to reprogram them so they will boot and delaying the issuance of developer keys to allow time to check whether a key-requesting laptop had been stolen.
Certified Windows 8 hardware will require secure boot.[16][17][18][19]