International records / Internet Archive

dn1999-0312

Intel: Privacy and Monopoly Intel Corporation’s new Pentium III microprocessor was recently released, and computers containing the new chip are now available in stores. Those who welcome the arrival of the Pentium III cite its ability to improve the performance of multimedia applications such as speech recognition and streaming audio and video. Critics, however, raise concerns over the chip’s most controversial feature: a Processor Serial Number, or P.S.N., which is embedded in the Pentium III. The computer version of a social security number, the P.S.N. makes it possible to track individual m…