This flag, properly represented as a GIF, is constructed such that the white digits and color stripes represent a decryption key for copy-protected DVD and Blu-ray material. The transparent digits, “09”, represent the first byte of the decryption key while each color stripe’s hexadecimal value contains 3 bytes of the key (bytes 2 through 16) in sequence from left to right. For more information see on the discovery and publication of this decryption key see the AACS Cryptographic Key Controversy of April 2007.

This is a redesign of a previously existing image—the so-called Free Speech Flag—circulated online which encodes the first 15 bytes as color, rendering the 16th byte as text. The redesign yields a more vibrant palette and makes the first byte human-readable as text, rather than the last, improving recognition of the key which is often referred to as “09 F9” for short.