Do you trust?

Let’s start with something crucial but not too heavy: trusted computing. This technology’s application could give hardware and software producers the possibility to control any electronic equipment’s behavior. TC has already been installed in a lot of internal components and operating systems.
Some of the companies which belong to the trusted computing group include AMD, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Sun, and so on.


Let’s analyze some of the “interesting possibilities” which this technology can lead to:

• Privacy violation: a unique key, or serial number, can be associated with each computer which carries the technology inside, and can therefore be recognized on the net everywhere you go;


• Digital content censorship: “uncomfortable” or ‘misleading” information could not be accessible by your browser; furthermore, even the author himself could not be able to access his own information ever again.


• Anticompetitive behavior: Some software integration could be favored instead of others(competitors)


• Forced client fidelity: The manufacturer could manipulate the software so as to make it work only by downloading frequent updates from the net


• DRM mechanisms: the user could not access legal digital content the way he is allowed to now: for example, digital content could be accessed only for so many times.

For further info:
againsttcpa.com
Electronic Frontier foundation
TC FAQ

To check out a list of devices which already carry a controller chip inside, see this (so give it a look before buying your next computer!):