Well! Adobe updates its Terms, says it is allowed to scan your files.

[thewayne]

This change happened February 17. And, of course, you have to agree to the change in order to continue using the product that you're paying for a subscription to, it's not like you own it or anything. In Adobe's words, they're doing it to prevent child exploitation.

"Adobe's reasoning for giving itself the right to comb through user content is the detection and removal of illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, as well as abusive content or behavior, including spam and phishing."

Ignoring that people do work under NDAs. Or on secret government projects. Or with student records. Or with medical records. Or with actual exploited children. Etcetera.

Alton Brown just tweeted that his company is suspending all use of Adobe products until his attorneys can go over the user agreements with a fine toothed comb.

One content creator complained that he couldn't get ahold of an Adobe spokesdrone, nor cancel and uninstall the software, until agreeing to the new terms.

While I use Adobe products at work, I'm not really using them at home: my operating systems have aged past my ancient software. I do need new photo editing software and a good PDF creator/editor package, though. Shouldn't be hard to find, Adobe's PDF editor has been increasing in suck factor.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/adobe-defends-terms-of-service-changes-amid-gen-ai-explosion/

Comments

[thewayne]

I remember software with no to minimal copy protection, it's pretty sad.  Just today I was cleaning up my new adds to my music collection: CDs that I'd ripped to highest definition MP3.  I find it perplexing and amusing how often Apple Music cannot find the correct cover art: you have the artist name, you have the title of the album.  Jethro Tull's Aqualung is not the correct cover art for J Tull Dot Com, etc.  Yeah, it's a pity that corps are in it for every dime they can get from us and don't care whether or not they're asses about it.

[garote]

TBH I've found it's easier to go find a lossless rip of a CD I already own on the internet, than to rip it myself. It takes seconds to drop the name into, e.g., Soulseek, and then dump the result into XLD.

That said, I still do patronize a number of artists on Bandcamp because I dig what they do.

For a long time I thought "there's got to be a backlash at some point," since I imagined that music streaming services were quietly siphoning the wallets of an entire generation. Then my nephews pointed out to me that the music industry is being hollowed out by artists that I've never heard of using distribution channels I've never thought of. Good on 'em. The key thing is the fragmentation: There is basically no longer a music industry. Musicians are distributing digital content in ways that compensate them and at no point is a rights-managing record label involved.

[thewayne]

I've used Bandcamp on a few occasions to find background music for videos that I've made, being careful to use the correct license.  And also to find cool music.  It's a great resource, I just hope they survive.