It started with a user getting banned after posting a hexadecimal string that represents the master AACS key used in encrypting HD-DVD discs over at Digg. Other users started submitting the string again and again leading to more people getting banned while the stories was buried from the frontpage. After a while people discovered that Diggnation actually is partly sponsored by the HD DVD Promotion Group and that’s when all hell broke loose – the riot is in full effect and the bricks are flying.
Every single frontpage link contains the HD DVD code now, and Kevin Rose (one of the Digg founders) recently raised the white flag and made this statement:
“But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.
If we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying.”
OhGizmo’s David Ponce has written an interesting article on the matter.
Personally I think it’ll be pretty interesting to see what happens after this.
