News just broke that EA has relented and dropped the 10 day revalidation requirement for Mass Effect and Spore! Jay Watamaniuk, Bioware Community Manager broke the news on the official Bioware forums:

Q: Did BioWare and EA change their mind on requiring that the game be re-authorized every 10 days?

A: BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.

Q: If the game isn’t going to require an authentication every 10 days, will it ever require re-authentication?

A: Only if the player chooses to download new game content.

While this is a huge step forward, fact may remain that SecuROM will be employed, which is still nothing short of putting malware on our systems.