SD cards and CPRM protection

Question

Before buying an SD memory card, I'd like to know something more about the CPRM protection, in particular:

• Does CPRM influence the way I am supposed to access my own data? That is, does CPRM encrypt it? Could CPRM prevent me from accessing my own data?
• Is it possible to disable or eliminate CPRM from either the memory card or the card reader?
• Are there manufacturers selling CPRM-free SD memory cards?
• Is there any real alternative to CPRM-protected SD memory cards beside USB flash drives?
• Is Linux support for SD cards good?

Thanks.

Answer 1

• I use OpenBSD and Linux primarily with SD cards and never have seen any sort of copy protection at the hardware level. I would assume that it requires certain programs. For instance if you told xTunes to write out a DRM-ripped CD to the SD card, then it may try to trigger the CPRM bits.
• I have no idea.
• Apparently Super Digital lacks support for CPRM according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital_card
• There is always things like CF and other such card media.
• Very good.

Bottom line is, I think only certain programs even care about the CPRM. To be honest I don't understand how it works because it is assumingly filesystem-agnostic. How it tracks the file and such is unknown to me. In my experience I have never had any kind of problems with copy protection on SD cards and was not even aware that they had any sort of DRM technology.