On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 20:00:33 -0400 HaywireMac <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> "What's the reality? What, if anything, do those of us who support > computer/Internet privacy have to fear from the group and Trusted > Computing Platforms? > > Plenty. > > First of all, the companies that constitute the Trusted Computing Group > include many of the heavyweights of the personal computer industry -- > Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Nokia and Intel, among others -- > all of which are interested in protecting their interests, not yours. > Most important, they propose to do this by advocating legislation that > would require every computer sold to have a Trusted Platform Module." I know this is OT, but I just had to throw in my two cents worth on this. I read the article, and I was skeptical at first. I found the TCG site and read just their description of it and it sounded like just what is needed. So I proceeded to download the specification. I started reading the specification and my first reaction was that someone was being paranoid about all of this. It still sounded good. Then I started getting into some of the details. Now some of this is subject to interpretation, but this is how I interpreted it. In order for an entity (which could be a user or a software package) to take advantage of the TPM, it must have authorization data. Where does this authorization data come from? Not from the owner, (the person who physically owns the machine) not from the installer, although it could I suppose, but from another trusted entity. This entity can be over a network. Which if I'm interpreting this correctly, (bear in mind, I may not be, after all this was mind-numbing 332 pages worth of details) means that the company that produced the software can remotely download the authorization data onto your computer in order for your software to work. Furthermore, there is a validity field in this authorization data. That field c an have a time associated with it, which can define when the authorization data is valid for. There is how it is done! Of course you realize what this really means? Should this get implemented, everyone here in the US will start going over the border to get their computers and/or only run Linux on it. <grin> I apologize to all of those who are not in the US for this, but I wouldn't doubt but what if this does happen here that sooner or later it will start happening elsewhere. Be aware!
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