Privacy groups up in arms over Intel's secure chips

UK and US privacy groups are urging users to boycott Intel products following the company?s announcement that it will include new ID verification technology in its forthcoming Pentium III microprocessors.

The groups which include the Washington based Electronic Privacy Information Centre(EPIC) and UK based Privacy International, claim that the technology will be used to track individual?s surfing activities, could be used to aid Intel?s marketing campaigns and are a violation of privacy

The technology, which Intel announced last week, will transmit a unique serial number on the chip across the Internet to help verify the identification of users purchasing goods on the Web with a credit card.

A spokesman for Intel said the groups are confusing privacy with security.

?All the technology is, is a serial number built into the processor like that on a car engine. Sites that conduct ecommerce will have the ability to read this number and it will be linked with a user's credit card number. This means that if a credit card is stolen, then the thief would not be able to buy goods with that card from any other PC,? he said. He added: ?Intel only have access to the serial number, not who it belongs to. We have categorically stated that we will not keep a database of what chips go to which dealers or distributors. It is also easy to remove the function. There is a utility you can download from our site to switch it off.?

He accused the groups of overreacting: ?This boycott will have no affect on sales. Cyrix have announced they will include the technology on their chips and AMD are evaluating it. Are they going to boycott every microprocessor? Soon web sites will make it mandatory for users to have this verification technology in order to buy from their sites.?

He also said Intel would be adding random number generators into the chipset for the Pentium III to further boost its security functions.

However, Dave Banisar, policy director for Epic said he believed the technology is reminiscent of computer tracking in the Soviet Union.

?It is also a new version of the cookies that everybody hates. We feel that Intel should change its marketing slogan from Intel inside to Big Brother inside. We will keep the boycott until Intel drops this surveillance technology,? he said.