From Saturday's Seattle Times:
Chip to combat piracy raises privacy concerns
Q: I was reading in the paper about how the new PCs that Microsoft has been creating include a new chip that will make it nearly impossible for someone to download pirated software. Now, we all know people do this all over the world, but to think that someone can put an end to this by adding an extra chip to the computer is outrageous. In my opinion they are wasting their time, as anyone who has any computer knowledge can remove this software. However, it was also said that it may be built right on the logic board as well, ... which would make is very hard to get rid of. Do you not think this is a waste of time, since anyone who really wants to pirate software will do it, regardless of the costs?
A: Well, first of all, Microsoft doesn't make PCs. Intel, however, is working on a next generation of processors that will include a feature that can identify the computer you're using when you visit Web sites.
Intel says its Processor Serial Number Control utility will protect e-commerce transactions. When the feature is activated, the computer's identifier can be matched against the sensitive information the user inputs, validating the exchange.
According to Intel, this feature should also make pirating software more difficult since it removes anonymity and would create an electronic stamp of the material's point of origin.
There is also conjecture that the feature could be used to eliminate pirated software, since software could be configured to be used only on a computer with the correct identifying number. The problem with this, of course, is that legitimate users who want to uninstall a program on one machine and install it on a different machine would be unable to do so, at least not without contacting the vendor for a fix.
Many people are understandably concerned, however, about the privacy implications of the feature and want assurance that the feature could not be used identify users who visit sites without making a purchase and without agreeing to give out that information.
As for Microsoft, what you may have been thinking of is their "Palladium" initiative, which is called the Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) for Windows. (I, for one, would rather it left the name Palladium, since it's a lot easier to say and to write than NGSCB.)
NGSCB is a proposed technology that combines software and hardware to produce a secure computing platform. Under the Microsoft proposal, chip makers would develop a processor that allows the operating system to be protected from attack by hackers. Other features include encryption and certification schemes to protect data.
Finally, like the Intel solution, Microsoft's NGSCB proposes a computer identifier that lets other computers know your computer is the computer it claims to be and that it is running specified software.
Yes, Microsoft talks with Intel and with other hardware and software manufacturers. Any such changes in technologies that actually reach market will no doubt be a combination of initiatives undertaken by individual companies. Will Microsoft's NGSCB incorporate Intel's Processor Serial Number Control utility? It is entirely possible.
At the same time there are, as you suggest, some experts who say that hackers will be able to find their way around whatever features Intel or Microsoft come up. Does that mean software and hardware vendors shouldn't bother to try to stop piracy and hacking? I don't think so.
If reasonable concerns about privacy are addressed, there's nothing wrong with vendors taking steps they consider cost-effective to prevent theft. And if the public feels its privacy has not been protected, it can vote with its wallet by refusing the buy the new technology.
AI
