Wow, this has got to hurt a little. People are a little miffed over at Digg last night, to say the least. Although, its interesting to see the power of the internet when people pull together in the same direction. Yes, piracy is bad but so is censorship. Besides, this number has been around the internet for months so really, what's the big deal and why try to ban it now? Plus, do you know what to do with it even if you do see it? Probably not. Curious anyway? Ok, here's what all the fuss is about: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 . That's it. Pretty impressive, right? No, I'm not telling you to go out and hack HD DVD, that would be illegal and wrong. But to most people, its just a bunch of numbers -- how much harm can it do?

I wonder if Digg will recover from the backlash even if honcho Kevin Rose is now talking tough and vowing to fight for his user's rights and against censorship. I don't know but it kinda seems like a case of too little, too late -- at least where die-hard Digg users are concerned. I can't blame someone for wanting to ensure his company survives but Rose had to at least have some idea that this (and more) would not go over well with his very vocal community of users.

Rose is a smart guy who's come a long way since I met him on the set of The Screen Savers several years ago. As he and Digg rose to prominence, he certainly seemed to have a good instinct for what the "cool kids" are into these days. I guess those instincts failed him this time. Fortunately, some users are beginning to call for calm and are ready to move on and get back to the way things were. I just have to wonder if that's possible now. Like many embarrassing things on the Internet, Digg's decision to remove posts and comments and the consequences of those actions are out there for all to see.

It's just something Rose and his fellow Digg owners are going to have to live with. Fortunately, even though this "scandal" is already out there, the Internet often has a short memory, especially when another "scandal" rises up up to take its place angering and motivating users to action. I like Rose and Digg and feel a little sorry for him and the rest of the company and hope this really does blow over. Where's a good upskirt picture of Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan when you need one?