Used by major video platforms including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu to name just a few, Google content protection system Widevine can be found in leading browsers, games consoles, and most mobile devices. Circumvention has been ongoing for years, but after OnlyFans sent a complaint to GitHub, a Widevine decryption project has been ejected from GitHub.
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 For streaming services such as Netflix, Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems provide a level of control over the companyâs most valuable assets, including movies, TV shows, and other content for consumer consumption.
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DRM not only restricts access to customers authorized to consume content, it can determine when and how itâs consumed too. When all goes to plan, DRM should also prevent end users from casually copying movies and TV shows, which should result in a positive contribution towards minimizing the spread of pirated content online; at least in theory.
Widevine Everywhere
Ultimately, whether users loathe it or just hate it, DRM exists in billions of web browsers and devices. One of the most widespread is Googleâs Widevine and avoiding its footprint today is almost futile. It can be found in Chrome, Firefox and similar browsers, mobile platforms such as Android, videogame consoles, plus many set-top boxes and smart TVs. At least five billion of them, most probably more.
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Unsurprisingly, Widevine has been exploited and reverse engineered over the years, as evidenced by the content itâs supposed to protect ending up on pirate sites, almost without exception. In 2020, Google took action against Chrome extension Widevine L3 Decryptor, which was capable of decrypting Widevine content keys by hijacking calls to the browserâs Encrypted Media Extensions (EME).
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Problems persisted throughout 2021 and 2022 with Widevine Dump but the problems havenât gone away. The same goes for individuals and groups committed to countering Widevine, although itâs still possible to attract negative attention.
OnlyFans Targets CDRM-Project
In a DMCA takedown notice dated April 22, 2025, OnlyFans owner Fenix International Limited informs GitHub that it had ârecently become awareâ of repos on the platform with code âspecifically designedâ to circumvent Fenixâs DRM, aka Widevine.
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âThe identified repositories contain step-by-step instructions which are specifically designed to circumvent the DRM protections in place on OnlyFans. The repositories contain links that are âhard-codedâ and specifically targeted at OnlyFans,â Fenix writes.
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âThe coding is designed to impersonate a video player in order to decrypt and play DRM protected files, obtaining the âsecretâ token required to play the DRM protected content. The downloaded files are then converted into an MP4 format which has the DRM protection removed.â
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CDRM-Project repo before suspension
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In line with its pro-developer policy when processing DMCA takedown notices, GitHub contacted the operator of the main repo and the operators of six additional forks, with an opportunity to address the complaint and avoid suspension.
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For reasons that arenât revealed, GitHubâs outreach couldnât prevent the suspension of the entire CDRM-Project repo and all reported forks.
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GitHub requested Fenix to identify âevery specific fileâ in the repo that it considers infringing; Fenix responded with a statement that the âentire repository is infringingâ and should be removed.
Anti-Circumvention Complaint
To GitHubâs credit, when rightsholders allege violations of the DMCAâs anti-circumvention provisions, GitHub conducts its own assessment. If there is no basis for a claim, GitHub sometimes finds other copyright-related grounds, but here there is no pushback. Thatâs usually a sign of a complaint that stands up under intense scrutiny.
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Another unusual aspect to the complaint is the Fenix response to GitHubâs request to provide the alleged infringerâs contact details, if theyâre in possession of them. In most cases rightsholders say theyâre unaware of those details but here, Fenix provides the details of two sets of owners and two sets of contributors.
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The project is now being made available via a repo on cdm-project.com but how long thatâs likely to last is unclear.
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When any DRM system unnecessarily restricts access to content by design or due to inherent limitations, those who suffer the most are legitimate customers. Most have no interest in piracy, were never part of the original problem, but are responsible for the bulk of the revenue. Once DRM starts to feel like DRM, thatâs where the big problems start.
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