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European Union may consider Pentium III embargo

Will Knight ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 24 Nov 1999 18:11 GMT

A report to be presented to the European Union Technical Committee discusses the possibility of placing a European trade embargo on Pentium III chips, according to a report on German newswire Futurezone .

According to this article, the report by Franck Leprevosts recommends a thorough investigation into the role of the NSA and the FBI in the decision to manufacture Intel Pentium III chips with traceable serial numbers. It also discusses taking legal action to prevent these chips being distributed in Europe.

A spokesman for Intel refused to be drawn out on the issue but said Intel would naturally cooperate with any investigation: "Intel won't comment on a report that has not yet been released. In the past we have worked with various bodies to address concerns over privacy and security and will continue to do so."

More details to follow.