Other cultures don't see things in the same way as we, here in the "west" do. We see bribery and corruption, and theft an deception in a different way than people in other parts of the world do.

Fifty years ago, the "Teamsters" and the "Longshoremen" (both organized labor unions in the U.S.) fought over the right to steal a share of the cargo they handled. The result was the decline of the use of extremely efficient railroads which were in use throughout the U.S. and their replacement with over-the-road trucking. The conflict was never resolved, but it was eliminated by means of the construction of the interstate highway system, which was presented as a national defense effort.

We've all payed for that in terms of greater air pollution, greater transportation cost, greater petroleum consumption, which, then, was not considered a "big deal."

If the makers of these set-top boxes were seriously determined to prevent subversion of their "protection" of their products, they'd invest more in tamper-proofing their product. Clearly, they've traded off the risk of having someone "tap-in" to their box to pilfer and distribute its signal against the resulting potential loss of revenue. They do this just like FORD or GM trade off the cost of a $1 safety feature against the lives that will be lost, and for which someone will have to be compensated, by its omission.

Yes, we find theft and deception, and corruption and bribery repugnant, but there are places where people really can't live without it.

RE