January 28, 1999

Mr. Craig R. Barrett
President and Chief Executive Officer
Intel Corporation
2200 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95052

Dear Mr. Barrett:

As you are aware, we are deeply concerned with the privacy implications of Intel's decision to place processor-specific identifiers on the Pentium III.

It is our understanding that the new Pentium chip will have a unique identification number that could be capture online including by World Wide Web sites. This new feature, whether the default is on or off, 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.

We appreciate the fact that Intel is sensitive to privacy concerns. Like you, we desire a robust Internet that provides stronger security for commerce and communication.

But privacy need not be traded off to achieve greater security. We believe that technical and policy solutions must be developed that provide strong security, offer robust and varied authentication tools to support electronic commerce, and protect individual privacy and anonymity. Based on what we know so far, the Pentium III unique identifier does not meet this standard. In our view, the privacy risks inherent in this unique ID feature outweigh the security it potentially provides. Therefore, we urge you to revisit the current plan to issue "unique IDs" and to develop products that support individual privacy as well as commerce.

We support Intel's goal of enhanced online security. We want to explore with Intel other options for increasing security that also protect privacy. We look forward to a dialogue with Intel on this issue.

Sincerely,

Barry Steinhardt Associate Director American Civil Liberties Union	Jerry Berman Executive Director Center for Democracy and Technology
Ken McEldowney Executive Director Consumer Action	Robert Bulmash President Private Citizen, Inc.	Beth Givens Director Privacy Rights Clearinghouse