In OLPC laptops there will be a self-destruct mechanism
The OLPC project is gradually approaching the start of shipments of the first batches of laptops to its first customers, and new interesting details about the functionality of these devices are gradually emerging.
It became known that some of the countries that are already waiting for their prepaid laptops, expressed concern about the widespread popularity that mini-computers have acquired around the world. And precisely because of the fears of the flourishing of "poachers" who will certainly try to satisfy the need of the black market for such an interesting product, customers asked developers to implement some kind of anti-theft scheme.
The solution was found pretty quickly. Since, apart from the Global Network, the XO laptop loses much of its attractiveness, the idea arose to play just that. An approximate protection scheme looks like this.
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Each laptop receives a unique serial number and special software, which, once fixed permanently in permanent memory, cannot be changed by the user, even with administrator privileges. By agreement between OLPC and a specific customer, a certain license period is established, after which the system should automatically connect to the server to extend it.
In case the laptop did not connect on time, or connected after reporting the theft, the device will be blocked. All data will remain in memory, but access to it will be available only after sending it to an authorized service center.
The only problem (with the exception of the irrepressible thirst of whole crowds of fanatical geeks who will by all means look for a way to disable the blocking mechanism and will surely find it) is a problem with access to the Network in the countries-customers, which will surely lead to whole months, and not a couple of weeks, as the technology developers would like.
As we can see, low price, simplicity and resistance to factors of a complex external environment are not the key to the success of the project. But from that even more interest is caused by ways in which developers can go to protect their offspring.
It became known that some of the countries that are already waiting for their prepaid laptops, expressed concern about the widespread popularity that mini-computers have acquired around the world. And precisely because of the fears of the flourishing of "poachers" who will certainly try to satisfy the need of the black market for such an interesting product, customers asked developers to implement some kind of anti-theft scheme.
The solution was found pretty quickly. Since, apart from the Global Network, the XO laptop loses much of its attractiveness, the idea arose to play just that. An approximate protection scheme looks like this.
')
Each laptop receives a unique serial number and special software, which, once fixed permanently in permanent memory, cannot be changed by the user, even with administrator privileges. By agreement between OLPC and a specific customer, a certain license period is established, after which the system should automatically connect to the server to extend it.
In case the laptop did not connect on time, or connected after reporting the theft, the device will be blocked. All data will remain in memory, but access to it will be available only after sending it to an authorized service center.
The only problem (with the exception of the irrepressible thirst of whole crowds of fanatical geeks who will by all means look for a way to disable the blocking mechanism and will surely find it) is a problem with access to the Network in the countries-customers, which will surely lead to whole months, and not a couple of weeks, as the technology developers would like.
As we can see, low price, simplicity and resistance to factors of a complex external environment are not the key to the success of the project. But from that even more interest is caused by ways in which developers can go to protect their offspring.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/3463/
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