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The Controversy

A controversial serial number in Intel's latest chip will erode privacy on the Web, harming users' ability to access sensitive information and making them vulnerable to unscrupulous snoops, several advocacy groups told the Federal Trade Commission today. In a brief supplementing a complaint filed earlier with the FTC, the groups argued that the Pentium III feature, known as PSN or processor serial number, will change the Internet as it exists today. "The PSN…has the potential to transform the World Wide Web from a largely anonymous environment into one where individuals are expected, or even required, to identify themselves in order to participate in online activities, communicate, and make purchases," the brief argued. "This is a far cry from the world we live in today--either offline or online--and would represent a grave erosion of consumers' online privacy." for the outcome.

Is There any Difference

In the world as we know it the amount of information we hand out daily is amazing. The result is that there is no privacy, if information is what you seek it is easily attained. Making information accessable is the end goal of the internet, how much the individual gives up is a personal choice.