An interesting item on Slashdot points to an article on The Register. Belkin has come out with a wireless router for home use that periodically hijacks your request for a web page and sends it to an ad for another Belkin product.

It reminds me of the reaction to the first spam sent to usenet. Gnashing of geek teeth all around, to no avail.

Clearly this is the place where digital rights management will take hold. The router will analyze the data stream and be able to block both receipt and transmission of traffic that is considered "inappropriate". You won't be able to download unauthorized content, and if content doesn't have the right markers, you won't be able to upload it. The ISPs will control the router -- only approved devices will be allowed on their network -- and will be able to change settings automatically.

Who cares if you can decrypt a movie once it passes the router and burn a copy. It's already recognized that this behavior does not materially affect the big boys revenue stream. If the router is controlled, the issue of embedding DRM restrictions in end-use devices becomes a non-issue.

As a side note, this is consistent with the end-to-end model of the Internet. The task is to control content. The router is the point in the system design where all functions can be performed without redundancy elsewhere in the system. The issue isn't about the system design, the issue is whether the task is appropriate and if so, to what extent.