Something interesting from Google. "The goal of Project Oak is to create a specification and a reference implementation for the secure transfer, storage and processing of data." The thinking here is that while we can lock down and encrypt data when we're transferring it, when it gets into the recipient computer it is unlocked and any system on the computer can access it, making it insecure. So this project posits what are called "enclaves" in recipient computers where all the data processing will happen in an area locked away from the rest of the computer. "Enclaves protect data and code even from the operating system kernel and privileged software, and are intended to protect from most hardware attacks." Of course, what enclaves also protect data from are computer users. They are the modern incarnation of 'trusted computing' - that is, a part of your computer that you can't access, and hence is 'trusted' by content providers (like the purveyors of digital rights management solutions). Beware the Oak bearing gifts.
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