Privacy Junkbusters Inc. and the Electronic Privacy Information Center are announcing a boycott today of Intel Corporation. Their complaint is the new technology in the upcoming line of Pentium III computer chips that helps identify consumers across the Internet. The groups are asking the technology be disabled on privacy grounds. An Intel spokesman said Sunday the company has been in talks about its technology for several weeks with Junkbusters and previously had meetings planned this week with the boycott organizers. Intel announced last week that its new Pentium III chip will by default transmit its unique serial number internally and across the Internet to help verify the identity of users.
Consumers can turn the feature off, but it turns itself back on each time the computer is restarted.
Intel says its technology is needed to encourage trust in Internet sales and also can be used to avoid piracy by preventing a single copy of a software program from being installed on several machines. China's telephone monopoly, China Telecom, asked the police to take action. Chen Zhui is now suing the police, arguing that his actions were not criminal because there was no law banning Internet phone service. Last week Chen won the first round. The case is being widely watched because it could suggest what will become of state control of communications, Internet growth, the flow of information and the development of a nationwide cable network now being installed by a governmental body that could become a competitor to China Telecom.