GoKawiilFSF Says Raspberry Pi Firmware Blocks User RAM Upgrades via DRM
The Free Software Foundation's deputy director Sean O'Brien published a statement criticizing Raspberry Pi's bootloader firmware, which since 2024 has included checks that can prevent the board from recognizing or booting with replacement RAM soldered on by users, even when the new memory is electrically compatible and of equal capacity. O'Brien argues this goes beyond the organization's existing objection to Raspberry Pi's nonfree firmware, calling the RAM-detection mechanism a form of Digital Restrictions Management (DRM).