Removable drives get security spec

— An industry body advocating removable hard-disk drives has started licensing content protection technology written specifically for that medium. Called Safia (for Security Architecture For Intelligent Attachment Device), it is the mandatory scheme for the removable media of the iVDR Hard Disk Drive Consortium (Tokyo). Safia's broad adoption is seen as necessary if iVDR devices are to enjoy widespread use, including in audio and video storage applications.

Japan's major carmakers, Toyota and Nissan, and the top hard-drive maker, Seagate, are showing interest in iVDR and are consortium members. But their commitment is conditioned on iVDR's becoming a de facto industry standard. Thus, the consortium (www.ivdr.org) is looking to enlist more companies, especially in consumer electronics, to launch iVDR drives.

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