Trusted Computing and Digital Rights Management: Theory and Effects (2004)
The paper discusses the Trusted Platform Module, or TPM, and its role in Trusted Computing and Digital Rights Management.
> Trusted Computing Platform Alliance (TCPA), now known as Trusted Computing Group(TCG), is a trusted computing initiative created by IBM, Microsoft, HP, Compaq, Intel and several other smaller companies. Their goal is to create a secure trusted platform with help of new hardware and software. TCG have developed a new chip, the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that is the core of this initiative, which is attached to the motherboard...
The paper discusses using the TPM as a way to establish Trusted Computing, which can be used to strengthen DRM measures:
> There is a possibility that more and more applications will be developed with TC in mind,hence users without TC will get less functionality from the applications than users who has a TC computer. There is also a risk that companies will only develop software for TC platforms that does not work on a regular computer and thereby forces users into using TC. The companies behind TC have interest in getting users to adopt the new technology and specifying TC hardware and OS as a requirement for an application is a good way to achieve this.
> Secondly the user could loose his freedom in choosing which applications to run, since attestation gives the server information about what application made the request. This application may be unauthorized to interact with the server; hence the server would deny it service. ... This is a very serious drawback since it allows companies and governments to decide which software a user must run. This leads to less freedom for the user.
With TPM 2.0 being required for Windows 11 devices, it's interesting to look back at the original goal of that technology.
The full paper can be downloaded directly here: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:206552/FULLTEXT01.pdf