[cpncrunch]

I'm not sure that is a valid analogy. They're not trying to prevent "free speech", just stop idiots who don't know what they're doing from interfering with aircraft weather radar.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10137739

edit please read the background before downvoting, and you'll see what I mean. Also, there is no loss of freedom here. As long as your radio software is separate from the router software, there is no issue at all.

[jMyles]

I certainly didn't downvote you.

I do, however, disagree.

In this particular case, it seems that the method employed to "stop idiots who don't know what they're doing from interfering with aircraft weather radar" is to infringe on everyone's right both to run software without the government assessing its content and to broadcast signals regardless of their content.

[cpncrunch]

Assuming that the radio and router are separate and only the radio firmware is locked down, is there any way that the NSA could snoop on the content? Or are you saying you want to have the right to reprogram the radio?

[quotemstr]

I'd be happy [1] with locked-down radio firmware if it could talk only to the radio.

One big problem is that coprocessors in embedded systems often have full access to the memory bus, meaning there's no way to stop a trojan in the closed and locked radio firmware from reading and modifying any bit of system memory, which can include your personal data and encryption keys.

[1] Although I'd hope that it'd still be possible to buy or build a general-purpose SDR.

[cpncrunch]

I would have thought (correct me if I'm wrong) that it would be pretty straightforward to give the radio unit its own memory, and not give it access to the system memory bus at all. However I don't know if manufacturers will want to go to the trouble of segregating the radio.