The Crisis of Standardizing DRM: The Case of W3C Encrypted Media Extensions

The process of standardizing DRM via the W3C Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) Recommendation has caused a crisis for W3C and potentially other open standards organizations. While open standards bodies are considered by definition to be open to input from the wider security research community, EME led civil society and security researchers asking for greater protections to be positioned actively against the W3C. This analysis covers both the procedural issues in open standards at the W3C that both allowed EME to be standardized as well as for vigorous opposition by civil society. The claims of both sides are tested via technical analysis and quantitative analysis of participation in the Working Group. We include recommendations for future standards that touch upon some of the same issues as EME.