Trusted Computing
Trusted Computing, sometimes called "Treacherous Computing" is the name of the initiative of a joint effort of multiple companies to add hardware level restrictions and restrict user ownership and freedom on multiple various types of computers and devices, including, but not limited to: Computers, desktops and notebooks, single board computers, PDAs, smartphones, tablets, media players, game consoles, digital video recorders, home theater systems, smart televisions, streaming boxes, pretty much anything with a printed circuit board and a digital purpose.
How it works
Trusted Computing usually consists of both hardware and software restrictions, From a locked down restricted operating system to a locked down restricted bios and or firmware to hardware level backdoors in the CPU, SOC, motherboard, to a physical chip known as a "Trusted Platform Module", "TPM" for short. A TPM enabled machine will RESTRICT and will NOT allow certain user actions.
Why it is a problem
One problem is user ownership and freedom. Depending on the device, various user actions may be restricted and or completely prohibited. Installing and using third party and or alternative software from operating systems to applications may be restricted and or completely impossible! Modifying certain system settings may be restricted and or completely impossible! Also user loss if ownership over data including files and documents is an issue!
Another problem is privacy and security. Because of hardware and software level backdoor, an affected system is vulnerable to remote tampering, sabotage and attack, both when the machine is on and off! Data including files and documents can be edited, encrypted, deleted without the user's consent nor knowledge! System settings can be edited without the user's consent nor knowledge!
Examples
Some notable examples include:
Palladium
Trusted Computing Module TPM and TPM 2.0
Almost every smartphone and tablet both Android
Amazon Kindle and kindke fire
Apple Ipod
Microsoft zune
Sony Playstation line of consoles
Microsoft XbOx line if consoles
Intel Magement Engine
AMD equivelent
Secureboot
Pluton
Walled gardens
Windows 10
Windows 11
Macos
Tesla Motors Automobiles
John Deere Tractors
References
https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/drm.html
https://www.fsf.org/news/treacherous.html
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/can-you-trust.html
https://www.slashgear.com/windows-11-tpm-2-0-could-affect-other-software-as-well-05689649/
https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/drm-carroll
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Computing
https://www.defectivebydesign.org/what_is_drm
https://www.fsf.org/news/treacherous.html
https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boo
https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot
https://www.fsf.org/blogs/sysadmin/the-management-engine-an-attack-on-computer-users-freedom
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/android-and-users-freedom.html
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/loyal-computers.html
https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html
https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/fight-to-repair
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/tivoization.html
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Trusted_Platform_Module
https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Trusted_Platform_Module
http://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000008927/software/chipset-software.html