Alea,
all technology can be implicated as good or bad. The internet can be considered a great innovation or you can write a scathing article saying it spreads viruses and opens the door to spying; same with any technology.
The TPM was designed with enhanced security in mind. If the keys can be exploited, there is a front door. The TCG has over a hundred participating companies and opens the door to anyone to participate in defining the open standard (If there is a back door here, you can just assume there is a backdoor everywhere -- abide by the law and you should be okay). From the TCG:
“The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) believes that open, interoperable, and internationally vetted standards are critical for the success of trusted computing, and that the multilateral approach to creating such standards is most effective.
TCG works within the international standards community, and has liaison and working group relationships with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the JTC1 joint committee of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The Trusted Platform Module is defined by an ISO/IEC international standard*. The TCG Certification Program leverages established and recognized security evaluation standards. This program relies on certification by laboratories operating under the supervision of National Schemes of Common Criteria members.
In support of open security standards, TCG encourages all nations to adopt global best practices around standards development and adoption. An open process fully supports worldwide participation from industry, academia, and government with fair and transparent development and decision processes. Specifications must be fully transparent and available to all participants, both during development and for implementation. TCG supports the use of published, peer reviewed standards and cryptographic algorithms.
TCG only supports open standards that are developed through a transparent development process, have undergone rigorous open review, and are compatible with existing global standards. Closed standards hamper both existing and emerging markets, and are detrimental to the security of global ICT infrastructure, representing an obstacle to technology innovation and industry growth.
TCG recognizes international standards in the field of IT security as the most appropriate method to ensure efficacy, interoperability, adoption and user acceptance. TCG takes into consideration international market requirements through international membership and welcomes participation from industry, academia, and governments in a unified, worldwide Trusted Computing standards development process.”
