[Nasrudith]

The problem with them is the same as DRM essentially - you have to keep it accessible to everyone and not accessible at the exact same time. The key management is a nightmare.

I believe the best compromise would require forward thinking leadership and design. Make medical devices that must or would be served by communication and control short range by design. Ideally it could be turned off by the patient but close range enough that a doctor can access it while the patient is in no position to assist. The added danger is minimal given that anyone that close who wanted them dead could just murder them in other ways.

Have a centralized registry of valid public keys - there are debates about who should have one but that is a whole other topic. The point being that nonrepudiation - an audit trail will be left which means in cases of malfeasance the entity corresponding is the one responsible - either directly or by letting their key get compromised. The practical pain is the logistics of course.

[sandworm101]

But unlike most modern drm, you have to do it without network access. You cannot even assume the ability to deliver updates.