Programban

Programban is a theoretical construct used in discussions of software policy and security. It refers to a policy-based ban on the execution of certain programs within a computing environment, intended to prevent unapproved code from running. The term combines “program” and “ban” and is often employed in speculative or academic contexts to explore how automatic restrictions could be implemented and managed.

In a programban system, a policy engine evaluates code when execution is attempted. Policies define allow and deny rules based on program identity, metadata, digital signatures, hashes, provenance, or runtime context. Enforcement targets can range from individual processes to whole hosts, containers, or virtual machines, and enforcement can occur at the operating system kernel, hypervisor, or application runtime layer.

Applications include enforcing licensing terms, compliance with regulatory requirements, preventing execution of known malware, and maintaining safety in critical or highly trusted environments. Implementations often rely on a policy language, revocation mechanisms, and trusted execution points, with updates distributed through secure channels.

Critics argue that programban adds complexity and potential for policy overreach, false positives, and performance overhead. There is also concern about evasion and politics of control, as well as the risk of stifling legitimate software experiments. In practice, it remains primarily a theoretical construct and is not standardized in mainstream operating systems, though elements of policy-based execution control are present in existing technologies such as execution policies, application whitelisting, and sandboxing.

See also: access control, mandatory access control, application whitelisting, sandboxing, digital rights management.