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Trusted Computing
Trusted Computing was inspired by the desires of hardware and software companies to secure computers. The question is who defines security and who decides the level of security. Trusted computing relies on the interaction between specialized hardware that identifies the computer, and is used to perform encryption and decription. Software (the operating system) can use the hardware to determine what the computer is and is not authorized to do. So who controls the software? Well in Windows particularly its not the user. Not only can Trusted Computing be used to determin what a computer can and cannot do, but it could also be used to keep tabs on users and even control their computers remotely.
So what are these specialized hardware devices? Trusted Platform Modules. Can they be disabled? Yes, for now. But Truted Computing will not rely on users willingly activating the chips. They are integrating TPM's into network devices also. So you try to go online without your TPM activated and the network device you try to connect through identifies that you are not a trusted computer and denies you access to the network. Who is a part of Trusted Computing? Umm, everybody important. Microsoft, IBM, HP, Intel, AMD.
The likely reason for this doesn't appear to actually be security. More likely its money. Microsoft wants to take over the computer security industry, the entertainment industry wants better control over what customers do with digital media (Digital Rights Management) and the advertising industry want to keep better tabs on people.
Makes you wonder, does Windows actually get infected with spyware or is Windows spyware?
See our links page for more info on Trusted Computing.