GlobalPlatform To Specify How Premium Content will be Protected in Mobile Devices
03 September 2013 – GlobalPlatform, the organization which standardizes the management of applications on secure chip technology, has launched a Premium Content Task Force. The group will determine the relevant requirements that need to be specified to protect premium content on a mobile device. The first use case of the task force is protecting the download, decryption and rendering of premium content in a trusted execution environment (TEE).
Premium content includes videos, audio or e-books, which users can download to their mobile device for a fee. Management and protection of premium content is a key driver for TEE adoption, a technology which is already widely deployed on consumer electronic devices. The TEE is a secure area that resides in the main processor of a smartphone (or any mobile device) and ensures that sensitive data is stored, processed and protected in a trusted environment.
The new GlobalPlatform task force has been created in response to the growing consumption of premium content on mobile devices and the requirement for the content to be hosted in a protected and secure environment. The group, which comprises 35 GlobalPlatform members, recognizes that stakeholders need to have clearly defined standards to ensure market consistency, promote product confidence and encourage a commercially viable ecosystem. The task force is already working with content copyright holders, aggregators, technology providers and device manufacturers to further understand the security level needed to protect this form of content.
Simon Moore, Chair of the GlobalPlatform Premium Content Task Force, comments: “Premium content not only requires a high level of security to protect against unauthorized distribution and access, but also a high level of functionality to deliver the quality features expected by end-users. The task force is therefore undertaking work to ensure that GlobalPlatform TEE Specifications support today’s premium content requirements and can be enhanced to deliver next generation functionality.”
“GlobalPlatform has released many specifications which are beginning to shape and standardize the TEE landscape,” continues Gil Bernabeu, Technical Director at GlobalPlatform. “As new actors enter the market and each introduces its own components onto the software, there needs to be a standardized approach to reduce implementation time and cost, as well as offer a level of assurance to premium content owners and service providers that their content is protected. The new group will work to understand the value for premium content in relation to device and user authentication, digital rights management protection, trusted playback, trusted link protection and downloadable schemes.”
As a first step the task force is publishing a white paper which details use cases, maps existing TEE technology, explores required additions to existing GlobalPlatform Specifications and provides direction to GlobalPlatform Technical Committees and work groups.
GlobalPlatform is hosting the industry’s first dedicated TEE Conference in Santa Clara on 31 October 2013. The event offers insight into the vast opportunities presented by this technology for the deployment of trusted applications in open environments. Further information is available at https://globalplatform.wpengine.com/TEEevent/.
To participate in TEE discussions please visit https://globalplatform.wpengine.com/membershipbecomemember.asp. For further details on GlobalPlatform’s work in the TEE read its Made Simple Guide.
