Windows ID

Igor wrote in with a link to a San Jose Mercury article about the discovery of the "Windows ID", and claims it "has been quietly used to create a vast database of personal information about computer users." It seems Windows 98 and other programs, like Office, embed a unique ID based on a MAC address into every document created (Office), or even submit an ID unique to a user during Windows Update (where it specifically says Microsoft will not send any information like that). The Intel thing never bothered me too much, but I'm not so sure about this...