Big Brother?

The DRM-free music that iTunes has so generously committed to sell will still contain data on who purchased it, reports BBC News. Ultimately, the data could be used to identify a track's origins if it later appears on file-sharing sites.

The DRM-free tracks are embedded with the full name and account info - including email - of users who purchased them. This info is also included in DRM-protected tracks.

In the UK, DRM-free tracks went on sale at May's end with a $1.29 pricetag, versus $0.99 for a DRM track.

Steve Jobs personally sanctioned DRM-free tracks in February, when he called for all music companies to release tracks without digital locks.