Ever heard of TCPA?

[Q'alooaith]

http://www.againsttcpa.com/

If you want the full info on it.. here's a breif extract..

The technology: TCPA stands for Trusted Computing Platform Alliance. For the technology we will speak from TCP (The trusted computing platform). This plans that every computer will have a TPM (Trusted Platform Module), also known as Fritz-Chip, built-in. At later development stages, these functions will be directly included into CPUs, graphiccards, harddisks, soundcards, bios and so on. This will secure that the computer is in a TCPA-conform state and that he checks that it's always in this state. This means: On the first level comes the hardware, on the second comes TCPA and then comes the user. The complete communication works with a 2048 bit strong encryption, so it's also secure enough to make it impossible to decrypt this in realtime for a longer time. This secures that the TCPA can prevent any unwanted software and hardware. The long term result will be that it will be impossible to use hardware and software that's not approved by the TCPA. Presumably there will be high costs to get this certification and that these would be too much for little and mid-range companies. Therefore open-source and freeware would be condemned to die, because without such a certification the software will simply not work. In the long term only the big companies would survive and could control the market as they would like. Some could think that it should be possible to get around this security. But probably they would be proved they're wrong. Until now there're no such hardware-implemented security systems and actual security systems have to work offline. This would be changed with TCP. The rights and licenses would be central managed by the TCPA (USA?). And as soon a violation is noticed, they will get notified. Read the chapter "The bills" to get an overview about the possible resulting consequences. The companies: The TCPA was founded 1999 by Compaq, HP, IBM, Intel and Microsoft. But in the meantime around 200 companies joined them. You will find Adobe, AMD, Fujitsu-Siemens, Gateway, Motorola, Samsung, Toshiba and many other well known companies. IBM already sells first desktops and notebooks with integrated TPM. The bills: In the USA there's a planed bill, the so called CBDPTA (Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act). First it was callen SSSCA (Security Systems Standards and Certification Act). The new name reads much more harmless. Looks like the first name made it too easy to discover the purpose of this bill. This bill plans to legally force secure (TCPA-conform) systems. So in the USA it would then not be allowed to buy or sell systems that are not TCPA-conform. Passing this law would be punished with up to 5 years of prision and up to $500.000 fine. The same would apply for development of "open" software. Open means that it would work on systems that're not TCPA-conform. Even if this bill would only valid in the USA it would have catastrophically effects worldwide. Because US companies are not allowed to develop and sell "unsecure" software, others would have to jump onto the TCP-train, so they would give total control over themself to the TCPA (USA?), or they would have to live completely without software and harware from US-companies. No Windows, Solaris, MacOS, Photoshop, Winamp or to say it short: The largest part of all software that's used on this planet would not be usable.

anyone else think it's a little bit nuts?

[armageddon272]

I hope they fail soon. I would never want one of those in my PC.

[Dron_Cah]

Hmm quite a few typos in there. Is this for real? Seems like it could be someone just trying to stir crap up again. I dunno, but that amount of typos would suggest the quality is not amazing. Or I could just be analyzing too much, again. Oh well. (shrugs)

[philip]

I heard of it before but I'm surely not getting any PC with it. I hope they get stopped soon since this idea is no good.

[Davros]

Gee - I thought it would be something like Tri- Chloro Phenyl Analine .

[ 03-21-2005, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Davros ]

[Kakero]

Sounds more like a certain group trying to monopolize the computer industry.

[Q'alooaith]

Originally posted by Dron_Cah: Hmm quite a few typos in there. Is this for real? Seems like it could be someone just trying to stir crap up again. I dunno, but that amount of typos would suggest the quality is not amazing. Or I could just be analyzing too much, again. Oh well. (shrugs)

Shocking thing is, it is real..

This info is taken from Aganst TCPA, not from the source itself..

It was in PC mags years back when the whole thing started,

[Stratos]

Exactly WHY would I want to get get this TCPA thingie?

[Q'alooaith]

Yes, that's the whole point..

It could be potentaly be used to stop priated software, or even mal ware.. So an upside..


Stratos you've hit the nail on the head, you might not want TCPA, and the whole point is it's built onto hardware..

Let that sink in, your motherboard is checking for TCPA keys and if it don't find one it'll not let the software run no matter what you do.. On top of that it will report such activity when it gets a chance..


The point is, you might not want it, but you might not have a choice.

[Iron Greasel]

Wouldn't all the hackers and virus-writers and übernerds of the world be swarming on that thing like ants do on dead fish thown to their nests? I doubt anyone would want that. Which means that the TCPA would have to face the combined cunningness of all the computer-owning people in the world.