Should We Be Afraid of TPM Chips?

AcidArrow asks: "I was looking to buy a new laptop and since I wanted to be on the bleeding edge, I thought one with the new core duo chips would be just what I need. Among the features on the laptops I was looking was 'Trusted Platform Module chip for the safety of your data'. Now, I don't know of any real uses for a TPM chip yet, but is this something that should worry me, or keep me from buying a laptop with said 'feature'? I don't intend to use it and I would like to disable it, if possible, but I don't want to make it easier for anyone to track down what I'm doing on my laptop."

Comments

Why should we be worried?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple lusers _love_ it, because Apple can do no wrong. Follow the lemmings!

Re:Why should we be worried?

[Thundercleets]

You need a clue because your Apple bashing makes no sense since TPM was on x86/Wintel first and the 4C who came up with did not include Apple.

TPM is wrong, the way it is implimentented on PC and now MAC is a big kiss on the crack for the music and software industry.

Basically your PC was rooted when you bought it.
The thing is like the "Terminator", it can't be bargined with, disabled and in most cases is hidden from view from the OS. It also will not stop being a backdoor in hardware so that your use of that PC/MAC can be tracked and to make sure your soon to be leased OS/productivity packages are up to date.

It's a brave new world out there folks so be safe...

Fuck that shit

[Anonymous Coward]

Call every retailer in your area and ask specifically what stock they have without TPM's. Let's all do it... twice a week.

Re:Uses

[nizo]

Plus if you cover your computer with tinfoil it keeps out the Bad Computer Control Rays. I wonder if it is safe to poke holes for the air vents?