BBC: "Aboriginal archive offers new DRM"

A new method of digital rights management (DRM) which relies on a user's profile has been pioneered by Aboriginal Australians.

The Mukurtu Wumpurrarni-kari Archive has been developed by a community based in Australia's Northern Territory.

It asks every person who logs in for their name, age, sex and standing within their community.

This information then restricts what they can search for in the archive, offering a new take on DRM

It's a fascinating example of how real world community practice can be translated into online viewing. As the article says, "[f]or example, men cannot view women's rituals, and people from one community cannot view material from another without first seeking permission. Meanwhile images of the deceased cannot be viewed by their families." This has been an issue for Australian museums in the past and it'll be interesting to see if this 'DRM' solution is adopted more widely.

BBC: Aboriginal archive offers new DRM

Time to get rid of some old accessibility habits

The always interesting webcredible newsletter listed an article on '10 common errors when implementing accessibility' – as screen readers have improved, some old accessibility tips aren't required, and can even impede performance.

There's also a piece from December on 'Designing online social networks: The theories of social groups' with some relevance to cultural heritage organisations.