TCPA - Trusted Computing Platform Alliance

talk
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Trusted Computing Platform Alliance

First, you might want to educate yourselves if you do not know what this is.

Best Anti-TCPA site I found:

Reasons Against:
The consequences:
Thus you’re able to determine the consequences for your own situation, we kept this section very generell. But it should be easy to determine the resulting restrictions that would apply for you.

The informational self-determination isn’t existing anymore, it’s not possible to save, copy, create, program, …, the data like you want. This applies for privates as for companies

The free access to the IT/Software market is completely prevented for anyone except the big companies, the market as we know it today will get completely destroyed

Restrictions in the usage of owned hardware would apply

The liberty of opinion and the free speech on the internet would finally be eliminated

The own rights while using IT-technologies are history.

The national self-determination of the der particular countries would be fully in the hands of the USA

Probably the world would break into two digital parts (Countries that express against TCPA)

Pro TCPA Site - http://www.trustedcomputing.org/docs/tcpa_layout_v1.3.pdf

The pro TCPA site is basically a pitch for the Bill, so it’s got most of the good things listed on it. A quick glance should get you the jist of it.

So now that you have an idea of what’s going on, I’m going to make my opinion//rant (and show other’s opinions//rants) in further posts.

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Here is a rant from ‘Raife’ concerning Microsoft’s alleged ‘controlling’ of their product (AFTER it’s been purchased by the consumer.)

On 11-15-2002, Microsoft’s “X-BOX LIVE” debuted.

X-BOX “LIVE” is a capability that is ‘built-into’
the “X-BOX” ‘game-console’ which allows (with the
addition of an expansion-kit, and for a ‘fee’ of
around $50.00 a year)…

  • ‘internet-based, multi-player, video-games’ -

    However, a controversy has already arisen…

    It seems that Microsoft, took the ‘opportunity’
    afforded by “X-Box LIVE” ‘launch’ to ‘query’
    every “X-BOX” console when the console’s ‘owner’
    attempted to access the ‘service’. Microsoft then
    used the ‘TCPA’ (Trusted Computer Platform Alliance)
    elements, ‘built-in’ to the “X-BOX”, to ascertain
    if the devices had been, in any way, ‘modified’
    by their ‘owners’… And…, if the ‘console’ HAD
    ‘allegedly been altered’, then Microsoft used
    the unit’s “Built-in Identification Number” to
    “permanently BAN” access to the “X-BOX”
    game-playing ‘network’.
    But…, while there is a ‘somewhat legitimate
    rational’ behind preventing people from playing
    against others (if they have modified their
    game-consoles to give them an ‘unfair’
    gaming-advantage)…, this was, apparently, NOT
    why Microsoft undertook this course of action.
    Microsoft’s entire goal appears to have
    actually been to ATTACK, what they see as, a
    ‘violation’ of ‘Microsoft’s control’ of the
    products that they have ‘created’.

    In fact, Microsoft has already been
    ‘…waging a war…’, for some time, against
    “mod-chips” (hardware that is installed by the
    console’s ‘owner’, to allow the playing of
    ‘back-up’ copies of games, as well as,
    ‘game-disks’ from other, ‘unauthorized’,
    ‘geographic regions’).
    Microsoft’s claim is that… MICROSOFT has
    the “RIGHT TO CONTROL” what is done with
    ‘Microsoft products’…,

…AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY CONSUMERS.

(Continued in the link, if you’re interested.)

http://www.scs.unr.edu/~raife/rants/tcpa/xbox-tcpa.html

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Here is my post in the forum of the Anti TCPA site:

<b>Hi, I’ll start by saying I’m totally for your cause, and think TCPA would be an awful thing to happen.

Second, I highly doubt this will every go through, especially if you all keep up mailing your senators.

And third, most important, if this WERE to go through (it won’t), it would have a profound effect on Canadian Economy. Being a border-canadian (Sarnia Ontario Canada, birthplace of Mike Weir, first Canuck and Leftie to win Masters) I can see how it would turn out.

Guess where every companies R&D would go? Production? Sure, not the Head Offices or anything, but production related sections of businesses would likely move up to Canada.

This all reminds me of 1920 - 1933 in the United States, when booze was illegal. Canadian gangsters, businessmen, and just odd joe’s made over a billion dollars overall. Well over a billion. And that’s in the nineteen TWENTIES. Who knows how much that is worth now.

Is ‘bootlegging’ computers over the border going to be in the future? Not **** likely, but if this bill passes, I have no doubt of a Canadian Economical Benefit, and the eventual undoing of said bill.</b>

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I believe this an interesting and worthwhile topic, and I hope some of you guys give me some feedback on it.

Thanks for reading this far.

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Is this the thing formerly known as “Palladium?”

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I believe so, but I cannot say for sure, as I haven’t been following the topic for very long.

It’s switched names a number of times (previously SSSCA or something similar) and no doubt it still is known as more than one.

I’ll try to find out for you after I’m done reading something.

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I heard about Palladium maybe a year ago. However word spread quickly and pretty soon Microsoft changed the name.

I am definitely against Palladium… or TCPA. It is against the consumers and a total breech of privacy. From what I remember Palladium will completely control your computer and be the judge as to what you can and cannot run on your computer. To simplify it, the processor will sniff out any software or executable you launch on your computer and run it granted that it is in compliance with all of Microsoft’s wishes. It doesn’t end here. It also sniffs out any documents you open. If you don’t have permission to open these documents (including music, artwork, personal email, etc) you will be denied access. Microsoft and its conglomerates, however, have full access to its contents. It does sound like a great way to protect your property but at the same time you are going to be constantly policed. You can goodbye to saying anything private because there’s always someone watching.

In addition - it sounds to me more like another way for Microsoft to increase it’s monopoly. Given their unsavory tactics towards competition in the past - I would not trust them with such a thing as complete control over my computer. This also spells doom for open source and freeware. People not making money off their software most likely can’t afford to pay off Microsoft to allow their applications to run on Windows.

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yeah, once the consumer buys the product it becomes theirs and should have no ties whatsoever to the original company.

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That’d be the mentality of a LOT of disappointed X-box modders.

It’s not illegal to open up your xbox, so how come Microsoft can ban it from Live? (RIGHT after you pay 50 bucks for the Live Kit, too. Ouch.)

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The future of computing hangs in the balance. I believe this will come to pass in our lifetime, for the simple fact that the current internet is a giant thorn in the side of the powers that be.

When it comes down to it, i guess ill be forced to unplug my computer. I even vaguely remember what life was like without one…

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*Originally posted by Majeye *
**The future of computing hangs in the balance. I believe this will come to pass in our lifetime, for the simple fact that the current internet is a giant thorn in the side of the powers that be.

When it comes down to it, i guess ill be forced to unplug my computer. I even vaguely remember what life was like without one… **

Well said… this is why I continue to support Microsoft alternatives. It’s good to have a choice.

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nobody will control me and my powerbook…

mariofan heads for the hills and grows a beard…

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Before this turns into an anti-Mac bash… let me just state that that by “alternatives” I also meant Linux, Netscape, Mozilla…

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I heared of this a while ago and it is really unstopable. All the big companys signed already up for that project(abit not yet proud) and I really don’t want it to become true. That would start the age of supervision. You won’t be able to do anything without a permission. The US already attempted to make a law for that stuff…

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It’s not even just that. Palladium in essence will be totally obliterate competition for Microsoft… most likely a small software company you like or a piece of open source you are working on. This includes flash executables. At this point, I’m hoping that hackers will come save us once again.

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but will they be able to change old computers, or will this be a, ‘from here on out type of deal?’

maybe it will be like a ‘mark of the beast’ thing, where its completely optional, but you can’t get online without it… :hat:

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What gets me is that Microsoft WAS broken up, and then allowed to reform, much like the T-1000 in Terminator 2…

Now, if people say that they ought to be broken up, the arguement will be, ‘we already tried that, and it was ineffective.’

Maybe they can change their name to Monopolysoft. hehe :slight_smile:

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I’m assuming you don’t have to upgrade. But that pretty much means you can’t upgrade ANYTHING (including all your lovely Adobe and Macromedia products). Assuming that companies such as Adobe and Macromedia support this, they’ll probably stop developing for previous versions of Windows. If they decide to continue to support non-Palladium users, Microsoft could easily corner them into submission by “mysteriously” making their software unstable under their operating system. This is how Microsoft does business.

I don’t know how much this will change the face of the internet.

Microsoft has a terrible way of doing business. They simply cannot stand to have any competition. Enough just isn’t enough. Having about 98% of computer users at your beck and call is simply not enough!

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Sorry to jump in here from like nowhere with little no understanding…
I did a quick search on google and came upon a site about this thing… I read most of it… I gotta say… this is some scary stuff. I didn’t really have a problem with Mircosoft until now. It just seems wrong… there’s gonna be like no privacy at all.
Is this going to affect Macs? If not I’m gettin one.

Wait… I said microsoft… is it them or Intel?

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*Originally posted by xxviii *
**Wait… I said microsoft… is it them or Intel? **

Microsoft and Intel scratch eachother’s back. Microsoft bloats Windows so that you constantly have to get a faster Pentium with each upgrade. They are all players in this game. All the rich, majority companies will benefit from this “trusted computer” system. It is the majority small software/hardware companies and the consumers that will suffer.

I’m not sure how Apple and Linux will be affected by this. Apple does not do business the same way Microsoft does - so my guess is they will not be implementing anything like Palladium. In fact there are rumors speculating that Apple will be making file sharing easier. I totally support Linux - but major software developers don’t cater to them enough as it is… the situation looks bleak. At best - people can start switching (to Linux or Mac) and Microsoft might have to change their game plan. At worst, Microsoft can somehow force Adobe and Macromedia to stop catering to Macs in an attempt to totally obliterate Macs altogether. I don’t think it would be a wise move as many of their “paying” customers are Mac users. Even still - it’s still a big maybe - as there are a lot of small software companies that develop for Macs, and I can see someone filling in the void easily.