[FYI] (Fwd) FC: Intel nixes ID tracking numbers in future 1.5 GHz Wi

["Axel H Horns" <horns@t-online.de>]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Thu, 27 Apr 2000 12:22:50 -0400
To:             	politech@vorlon.mit.edu
From:           	Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject:        	FC: Intel nixes ID tracking numbers in future 1.5 GHz Willamette
 	chip
Send reply to:  	declan@well.com

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http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,35950,00.html

    Intel Nixes Chip-Tracking ID
    by Declan McCullagh (declan@wired.com)

    3:00 a.m. Apr. 27, 2000 PDT
    Hoping to avoid another campaign by privacy activists, Intel has
    decided not to include a controversial user identification feature
    in its forthcoming 1.5 GHz Willamette chip.

    Absent from Willamette's design are a unique ID number and other
    security measures that could be used to limit piracy by tracking
    users, an Intel source said Wednesday.

    "The decision has been made and the engineers have already been
    told," said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
    "The gains that it could give us for the proposed line of security
    features were not sufficient to overcome the bad rep it would give
    us."

    In January 1999, Intel said it would wire a unique ID into each
    Pentium III chip, but then disabled it after privacy activists
    began a boycott and a prominent House Democrat denounced the plan.

    An Intel management committee, after hearing from marketing,
    privacy, and engineering representatives who were opposed to the
    idea, reportedly made the decision not to include similar features
    in the much-anticipated Willamette chip, the source said.

    Besides the serial number, the other missing features include
    support for hardware digital certificates -- something banking and
    finance firms would have preferred

    [...]

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