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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scumbria who wrote (47215)	1/25/1999 3:59:00 AM
From: Paul Engel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1570665

Sharpy - Re: " Hardware data security is unnecessary for the vast majority of computer users. " So you did a survey of all 247,983,156 Computer users to reach this conclusion? You're just quaking in your boots that this DOESN'T BECOME a quick standard because your AMD will once again be out in the Technology Boon Docks. Paul

To: Scumbria who wrote (47215)	1/25/1999 5:30:00 AM
From: FJB	Respond to of 1570665

Privacy Groups to Announce A Boycott of Intel Products Associated Press WASHINGTON -- Privacy groups will announce a boycott Monday of all products from Intel Corp. until the company agrees to disable new technology in its upcoming line of Pentium III computer chips that helps identify consumers across the Internet. "Not even the tamest privacy advocate has failed to condemn it," said Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters Inc. of Green Brook, N.J., which lobbies on a range of high-tech issues. It organized the boycott with the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center. Intel did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the boycott. Intel, the world's largest chip maker with $26.2 billion in sales last year, announced last week that its new Pentium III chip, to be sold within months, will by default transmit its unique serial number internally and across the Internet to help verify the identity of users. Consumers can turn the feature off, but it turns itself back on each time the computer is restarted. In addition to making about 85% of the world's computer processors, Intel also manufactures memory chips plus hardware for computer networks, communications and graphics. Mr. Catlett called the Pentium III chips that already have been produced "toxic hardware." "They should destroy them," said Mr. Catlett, who spoke last year at a summit on Internet privacy in Washington organized by the Commerce Department. As part of their boycott, organizers will unveil a parody of the company's ubiquitous "Intel Inside" logo. Theirs features the same familiar swirl but with the words, "Big Brother Inside." Intel said its technology is needed to encourage trust in Internet sales and also can be used to avoid piracy by preventing a single copy of a software program from being installed on several machines. "That serial number can be linked in databases like your Social Security number is used by credit bureaus and marketing companies," Mr. Catlett said. "It allows a massive profile to be efficiently collected and sold." Rep. Edward J. Markey (D., Mass.) urged Intel on Friday to reconsider its plans, "to better balance both commercial and privacy objectives." Mr. Markey is the senior Democrat on the House consumer protection subcommittee and active in Internet privacy issues. Intel's announcement comes at an awkward time for the Clinton administration. David Aaron, undersecretary of state for commerce, was to begin negotiations Monday in Europe -- the same day as the boycott announcement -- over a tough new privacy law enacted by the 15-nation European Union last October. "It couldn't have come at a worse time," Mr. Catlett said. "This new feature from Intel is really throwing kerosene on the fire of the trans-Atlantic privacy negotiations." Mr. Aaron must assure Europeans that the U.S. has adequate privacy protections or risk a prohibition against businesses in those 15 countries from disclosing personal information about citizens there to U.S. companies. Mr. Aaron warned Friday that such a ban would carry "a very adverse impact on the operation of the economies on both sides of the Atlantic and could be a very serious blow." The Electronic Privacy Information Center said it will meet later in the week with the Federal Trade Commission to discuss Intel's plans. The FTC has criticized the online industry for its failure to protect privacy rights, and the agency successfully pressed last year for a new law that prohibits Web sites from collecting personal information from children without parental permission. Coincidentally, the FTC also is suing Intel for alleged antitrust violations. The trial is set to begin March 9.