New Intel Chips Create Anti-Piracy Flap

Intel announced this week that upcoming processors would contain a new technology, code named "LaGrande," which would copy protect software, movies, and music. Intel didn't say much about the specifics of the technology, but - according to a Boston Globe article - did acknowledge that it could, and likely would, be used to implement digital rights management schemes such as Microsoft's controversial Palladium.

Privacy and consumer advocates such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) warn that measures such as the new features proposed by Intel could be used to limit consumers' ability to exercise their fair use rights, spy on their viewing habits, or otherwise compromise their freedom and privacy. EPIC cites one case in particular in which a researcher declined to publish a paper exposing security holes in an Intel copy protection scheme, for fear of being thrown in jail for violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

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