Bracing itself for another potential fight with computer privacy advocates, Intel Corp. said yesterday that its next generation of microchips, due next year, would include anti-piracy features that will protect computers against hackers and viruses while giving digital publishers powerful new tools to control the use of their products.
 
The technology, code-named LaGrande, was designed to protect computers from viruses and bad-natured hackers. But the feature will also give Hollywood, the recording industry, and software makers much stronger controls over the way consumers use their digital music, films, and computer programs.
 
Publishers, for example, may prevent PCs that run LaGrande and Microsoft Corp.'s software-based Palladium security technology from copying CDs, forwarding certain documents, or running unlicensed software.
 
Paul Otellini, Intel's president, said the chip maker would include no copyright protections in LaGrande, but he acknowledged that digital publishers could use the technology with software programs such as Palladium to create their own.
 
Intel intends to include the technology in the Prescott chip design, which will succeed the Pentium 4 as the Santa Clara, Calif., company's flagship PC chip in the second half of 2003.
 
Until then, consumer advocacy groups say they will lobby to ensure that publishers don't use these so-called secure computing initiatives to spy on PC users.
 
"These systems are likely to police copyright by watching who consumes what," said Chris Hoofnagle, legislative counsel with the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center. "There are grave consequences for privacy with these systems," he added.
 
Intel's LaGrande effort is part of the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance, a coalition of high-tech giants including Intel, IBM Corp., Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard Co.
 
While Intel is approaching secure computing at the level of the silicon chips and their accompanying components, Microsoft's Palladium initiative is software-based. Microsoft plans to include Palladium in future versions of the Windows operating system.
 
Privacy groups locked horns with Intel in 1999 over another attempt to solve the same security problems that LaGrande is tackling. Intel assigned a digital identifier, known as a processor serial number, to every new Pentium III chip, but disabled the feature a year later, after privacy groups said the serial number threatened to make anonymous Web surfing and Internet transactions impossible.
 
Ari Schwartz, associate director of the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology, said LaGrande appeared to give users more control over the information revealed about themselves than the processor serial numbers. His group is meeting regularly with Microsoft and others to monitor their intentions.
 
"A lot of what's decided is going to be on the policy side, not the technical side," he said.
 
Seth Schoen, staff technologist for the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, said Palladium and LaGrande could create a computing environment that is safer for publishers and their content, but less safe for computer users looking to maintain their privacy.
 
By protecting vaults of data and the pathways that transfer them within the PC, LaGrande will prevent viruses from infecting central parts of the computer, make it harder for hackers to take over computers remotely, and allow for more secure e-commerce transactions, Otellini said in a speech at Intel's twice-yearly developer forum yesterday.
 
But, he added, the chip maker learned from the processor serial number debacle. In "creating a safer computing environment," he said, Intel is working with privacy groups "to ensure that we do it in ways that are acceptable to the norms of privacy today."
 
Intel used its developer forum to announce other new technologies and show off designs of the future. Demonstrations included an experimental Pentium 4 chip that designers ratcheted up to 4.7 gigahertz, nearly twice as speedy as the fastest chip on the market, a 2.8 gigahertz chip. They also showed a sneak preview of a chip code-named Madison, which is the next iteration of Intel's Itanium line of server chips.
 
Finally, Intel said it would move a new technology, currently being used in server chips, into top-of-the-line desktop computers this year. The 3.0 gigahertz Pentium 4, due this quarter, will include a feature known as hyper-threading, which improves performance as much as 30 percent with some software applications by making one processor act like two.
 
 
From <A HREF="http://www.iexbeta.com" target="_new">http://www.iexbeta.com</A>
 
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by nja469 on 09/12/02 07:10 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

I hope Intel decides to go ahead with this... would put the hurt on Intel big time as they cut out about half their market...... good thinking Intel... toss a few more million users to AMD why don't ya? =P

Not entirely however.
 
The later chips will use LaGrande or Palladium fully. We can redo a debate again here about Palladium, but point being, major HW companies are using it in the future chips, it ain't gonna be easy to flock to other companies if we wanted to.
We'll just have to wait and see how far this anti-piracy goes. I have hinted before I may be behind it, if it were to truly block many things that invade my comp or harm it.
 
--
When buying an AthlonXP, please make sure the bus is at 133MHZ, or you will get a lower speed!

Seriously, just when I was actually getting excited about intel again.. LOL
 
Actually thinking about it, it's possible AMD would eventually do the same thing if microsoft threatens them enough.  Since it requires software (the controversial and civil rights trampling MS palladium) to activate the hardware lock down part.  Either way though it wouldn't be as immediate as prescott for AMD, if even implemented by them.  
 
We already know when palladium draws near, it will cause some anxious controversy, hell I might even switch to open source at that point.  While I'm not a big pirate, sure a few things, but not as bad as some, I do not believe in buying things to only limit what I can do with it.  It's supposed to be illegal, but in America anymore, less rights is "anti-terriost" and good for the country.  AMD could play it cool and call Intel big-brother and win over alot of scared users, even big business.  Just another example of how we allow our government to take away more and more of our rights, which according to the constitutuion we're supposed to have control over.  
 
I just keep thinking about the harmless intel P3 serial number issue.  It caused hysteria until intel let it be known it could be turned off.  When I bought a presario when the P3 was still new, one of the "Features" was the serial number being disabled automatically.

They'll brainwash you that it will prevent hackers and protect your privacy, while it is the smokescreen for all the limitations and rights as a human they're taking away from you.  
 
If they tried, I mean really tried, they could secure your computer now without taking away rights, but that wouldn't be very american would it?  lol.

I never understood why would a P3 serial number be bad or cause histeria?
 
--
Where did your THGC username come from and why did you choose it? <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=19957#19957" target="_new">Tell here!</A>

Because people didn't want to be identified or think they could be "tracked" by the government.  The program had merits, but it was possible it could have been abused (sell info about what sites you went to, what you did with your PC, etc).  Even though intel might not have ever done that, they could have, a serial number identifying your PC.. a hidden packet sent to them on the net, that idea is what pissed ppl off.  I think even 20/20 or dateline, one of those shows did something on it.  Most people thought of the potentional for abuse and intel got a lot of flack for it.
 
Honestly the serial number seems harmless compared to the next gen anti-piracy stuff.  Just wait until all the  software/hardware terminology of palladium or LaGrande is dumbed down and explained to the public, more fuss to come for sure )
 
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by nja469 on 09/10/02 10:49 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

Lol, this time by MS truthfully, it will be the king of marketting!
Just wait a see how everyone who are Joes will be drawn to it so fast like a P4 with SDRAM sells on Boxing day!    
 
--
Where did your THGC username come from and why did you choose it? <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=19957#19957" target="_new">Tell here!</A>

Ahoy there Mateyys!!!  Those fish-gutted landlubbers on the USS LaGrande will never catch the crew of the Jolly Kazaa....Argh!!!!
 
Just because you're not paranoid, doesn't mean they're not watching you.

lol.. really.  I thought in my head last night that LaGrandè sounded like a new combo from Taco Bell.

then BOYCOTT! you do not NEED a computer!!! Human civilization has survived for 7 million+ years with out it!!!!
 
Just boycott the mother f'ers!
 
Let companies know that they cannot control us!!!! if you let them that is one step closer to fascism!
 
get it!?
 
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

i guess i'm not buying a prescott.
 
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

Well, since it is software based, just go with a non-MS OS.  Then you'll have hardware security, and no software to access that hardware, making DRM impossible.
 
-SammyBoy

that will work but only for a short time. As softwae will require the architecture, so will the Linux flavored operating systems.
 
It's a matter of telling the big fascist government and businesses no. you say that by not buying that product, which invades your privacy and your free will to use your computer.
 
you let this happen, then the government will control your computer in the name of terrorism and charge 40 bucks a month per computer in the terrorism releif fund; For example.
 
Amazing isn't it how broad a term it is and how easy it can be applied to anything?
 
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

I may be stupid, but I fail to see how anything in silicon would help protect me from hackers or virus or anything. Neither do I understand how some CPU feature would stop me from burning CD's, copying illegal software and such.  
 
All I can image (and even that is far fetched) is the cpu would refuse to run "unsigned" software or not play unsigned MP3s or something. And even then, how long will it take for some shareware MP3 player to come out that works around that ? How is a CPU going to understand what its executing (say I run Linux or whatever other OS).
 
Well, actually, maybe the idea is (only) Palladium making use of this "only run signed apps" thing, but that would not require any hardware support, would it ? And who on earth would want an OS that will *not* run >90% of legacy software, shareware, heck, even self written unsigned software??? Someone enlighten me please
 
= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

according to <A HREF="http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/tcpa-faq.html" target="_new">this</A> yes it will be at the hardware level. there will be a chip inside the cpu that when a file, program, etc. is executed the chip will request an authentication number from a server (whether it's the computer manufacturer, software maker, etc). then and only then can the task be executed. ok yeah, everyone might not have to be worried about this, cause not everyone is running illegal software. but where does it end? the government/MS doesn't like a certain document you're viewing, they can block it. they don't like a document you're creating in MS word or whatever, they can block that too. which also means every computer will need internet access if it's to get permission to run something from a server. so another that will come out on top of this is service providers.
 
MS/government are going to have just about any and all hardware and software makers out there behind this, cause thee all-mighty dollar. people are too ignorant and naive to think and question things themselves. MS will sugar-coat this so much that every consumer that doesn't know any better will be running out to purchase this new setup and wonder why it took so long to get these "great security features!" consumers will not realize the consequences of this until sometime long after it's all implimented and MS flexes it's muscle and someone FINALLY feels their rights are violated. by then it'll be too late to turn back.  
 
you have to remember, ethics, morals, honor and making an honest dollar are things of the past. it's all about marketing/brain-washing now, no honest advertising. no selling a product solely because it is indeed actually better than competitor's products.  
 
what's ironic about all of this, is people are crying about privacy, civil/human rights about something that's a privlege to have. i totally agree with sk8er that noone really NEEDS a computer. but when laziness and gluttony are the main themes of todays life, i don't see that happening (a boycott).
 
and you think this is still a ways off? ha! i recall seeing a dell commercial a little over a month ago about their laptops with winXP installed. about all the new "security features" that'll "stop hackers and viruses". and having all these actors on the commercial going "wow! i can't believe how safe and secure i feel accessing the web". "this is truly great".  
 
there is no hope.

then please don't. but it is the future. intel isn't doing this to solely get profits, they're doing it because it is what the consumer wants. i want security. you don't. if you think e-commerce has any relevance in the future, you would think it's a great idea too. if all the ppl on this forum didn't buy intel cpus, how much would it affect their revenue? (like 0.0000001%).....
 
and for the paranoid: ...magic lattern
 
the government already ownz ya.
 
<font color=green> there's more to life than increasing its speed -Ghandi</font color=green>

Ok for all of us that are running a plethora of illegal software on our computers, just a thought for ya.  If someone can hack or crack a program say for example warcraft 3 enough to where you could create new serial and log onto their server to play multiplayer.  Why not just have a program that interupts the server connection and generates a valid authentication.  Even if it doesn't specifically work that way anytime you have software involved someone is going to crack it.  Not only that but Microsoft released the perfect hacked version of XP, "corporate edition."  They took a step forward and then just undid everything they were trying to accomplish.  I seriously doubt for anyone who knows jack about computers that any of these piracy measures will ever amount to jack.