At least 5000 consumers have added their digital signatures to an anti-iPad campaign that's currently petitioning Apple CEO Steve Jobs to remove digital rights management, or DRM, from the device's content.

DefectiveByDesign.org, a campaign of the Free Software Foundation, has sent Jobs a giant postcard - with imagery from doubleTwist's Apple parody ad - covered in the first 5000 names - collected within 24 hours of the petition going live. The FSF plans to send further postcards as it racks up each set of 5000 additional signatures.

In an open letter to Jobs, the FSF writes: "DRM will give Apple and their corporate partners the power to disable features, block competing products (especially free software) censor news, and even delete books, videos, or news stories from users' computers without notice - using the device's 'always on' network connection".

"By making a computer where every application is under total, centralized control, Apple is endangering freedom to increase profits", states the campaign.

It's highly unlikely the petition will cause change between now and the iPad's launch in just under 2 month's time, Apple was notably slow to offer its iTunes music catalogue DRM-free and has a vested interest in keeping the fledgling iPad an Apple-controlled product.

If you want to add your name to the list, then you can head over the DefectiveByDesign site now where there's more info to be had on why the "iPad is iBad for freedom."