-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/18139.html <A HREF="http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/18139.html"> Technology News from Wired News</A> ----- Many embeds Om K ----- Pentium III Draws More Fire by Leander Kahney 2:45 p.m. 25.Feb.99.PST Intel may wish the Pentium III privacy issue would just go away. But wait until Friday's launch. Privacy groups, including the Center for Democracy and Technology have chosen that day to file a complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission . Ari Schwartz, a policy analyst with the CDT, declined to discuss the complaint in advance, other than to say that it will point out "all the ways (Intel) engaged in unfair and deceptive practices." Earlier in the week, a coalition of privacy groups organized a boycott of the chip and sent a strongly worded letter to the FTC urging an investigation of Intel. And the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to find out if the federal government pressured Intel to include the serial number for snooping purposes. A reply is not expected for months. Intel said the serial number is designed to help administrators of large networks keep track of hardware and as a safe and secure way to identify individuals for e-commerce. However, privacy advocates contend that the serial number is an easy way to track people's movement on the Internet and is an infringement of privacy. Meanwhile, following revelations that the chip's serial number can be cracked without the user's knowledge, computer manufacturers said they will turn off the number at the lowest level of a computer's operating system. Compaq, Dell, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard said they will build switches into the system BIOS -- the very first instructions that get a machine running as it boots up -- and that the default setting will turn off the serial number. Intel said a switch in BIOS adds an extra level of security. However, Andreas Stiller, the hardware editor at c't magazine who discovered the original software hack, said contrary to assurances, the BIOS switch isn't secure either. Stiller said he cracked a BIOS switch in a system shipped to the German magazine in about 30 minutes. "It was very easy," he said. "It was much easier than I thought. I did it in less than half an hour. You do not need a specialist cracker. For this job it was quite easy." Stiller said that instead of installing a switch, computer manufacturers could more or less permanently disable the number in BIOS, but he didn't think they were willing to do so. "This is the only secure fix, all the others can be fooled," he said. "They can do it but they will not do it because they want this number for e-commerce." Intel spokesman Tom Waldrop said he was aware of the proposed FTC filing but declined to comment until he knew its substance. "We are in discussion with CDT and we are aware that they have differences with us on this issue," he said. "But we certainly believe that we have not done anything deceptive or illegal." Waldrop also confirmed that the switches in the software utility and BIOS can be hacked. "It's absolutely true that any kind of software, whether it's a software utliity or BIOS, can be hacked if someone has the skill and motivation, we've always said that," he said. "Software is eminently hackable. That's why we added a hardware serial number... There's a touch of irony in that the hardware serial number is supposed to protect security and privacy." Related Wired Links: Privacy Hack on Pentium III 23.Feb.99 Intel Thinks Different, Too 17.Feb.99 Chips Ahoy 17.Feb.99 Firm Sidesteps Intel on Chip ID 29.Jan.99 Intel on Privacy: 'Whoops!' 25.Jan.99 Boycott Targets Intel 25.Jan.99 Send us feedback | Work at Wired Digital | Advertise with us About Wired Digital | Our Privacy Policy Copyright © 1994-99 Wired Digital Inc. All rights reserved. ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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