Intel Backs Off, Disables Pentium ID Feature

Privacy advocates will meet with Intel to avoid boycott.

Daniel Rubin, Medill News Service

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"We don't have to make the choice on the behalf of the consumer," said Howard High, an Intel spokesperson. "If they want to be anonymous they can; if they want a more secure connection they can do it as well."

Intel said last week that during online transactions the Pentium III chip, expected to ship late this quarter, would send its serial number to identify the computer's user. Intel controls nearly 85 percent of the world computer processor market.

Online privacy groups immediately denounced the decision and planned a boycott of Intel. They said Monday they were encouraged by the policy switch.

"That's a big improvement," said Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters, a privacy group that intended to announce an Intel boycott on Monday. He said he needed to look at the technical details before deciding whether to cancel the boycott.

Privacy Default

Under Intel's revised plan, the chip function that automatically transmits serial numbers will be set by default in the "off" position. Utilities from Intel and other vendors will let users turn on the option, High says.

"What we were hearing from privacy groups is that nonsavvy computer users wouldn't know if the option was on," High said. "I can understand if somebody wanted to go on the Internet and wanted to act in anonymity."

But High defended the function, saying it would enable the secure transactions that businesses have requested.

Intel met with privacy groups during the past week and will meet with Catlett and Junkbusters on Thursday, said High.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based group that worked with Junkbusters on the boycott, parodied the Intel logo on its Web site. Instead of the familiar "Intel Inside" slogan, the text read "Big Brother Inside."

Computer privacy experts say Intel's decision is significant.

"Having the default 'off' is very important," says Deborah Hurley, director of the Harvard University Information Infrastructure Project. "If people were to use the chip [under the old policy] it would create an unfair burden on them."

However, Hurley calls the switch "helpful but not sufficient." The greater issue of online privacy needs to be addressed, she says.

"Why do we need to identify every transaction?" she asks. "There can be transactions online that are authenticated but not identified."

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