MR_BATES_HOOD_NIGGA

The problem is, the technology needed to create legal backups is prohibited by the DMCA.

Could you explain this? According to 103f of the DCMA, the section called "Reverse Engineering", it seems that you could legally reverse engineer Steam encryption for the purpose of creating a backup.

It looks to me that the real issue at hand comes from a federal court decision, Bowers v. Baystate Technologies (2003) that said agreeing to a terms of use contract overrides the DCMA law.

I replied to a different comment, but since this came up again...

You reference Section 1201 103a of the DCMA, however section 103f says the following-

(1)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(1)(A), a person who has lawfully obtained the right to use a copy of a computer program may circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a particular portion of that program for the sole purpose of identifying and analyzing those elements of the program that are necessary to achieve interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs

...

The information acquired through the acts permitted under paragraph (1), and the means permitted under paragraph (2), may be made available to others if the person referred to in paragraph (1) or (2), as the case may be, provides such information or means solely for the purpose of enabling interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs, and to the extent that doing so does not constitute infringement under this title or violate applicable law other than this section.

To me this reads like for the sake of creating an independent program (e.g., Blu Ray backup ripper) you could legally reverse engineer any DRM/encryption and share the software with others.