FAQs | FAQs - Architecture & Technical |
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What is meant by Trusted Computing? The term Trusted Computing is being used to mean computing that, over time and with use, gains the trust of both the users and the suppliers of e-services / e-Government. What is different between the Trusted Computing Project and other Linux distributions? The Trusted Computing project is based on the Debian / Ubuntu Linux distribution. This has been modified so that: Users / owners do not have administration / root privileges; the computers are managed remotely; all the software on the computer conforms to an acceptable Open Source licence; support for smart cards / tokens is provided to enable users to prove their identity. Why the insistence on the exclusive use of Free / Open Source Software? A trusted platform requires that all the softwaer be open to independent inspection. This is not the case with proprietary software. Why is Skype not supported and is there an alternative? Skype, which enables VOIP telephony over the Internet, is proprietary code and has to be integrated into the Linux operating system. There is no way that the integrity of the code can be independently verified so can not be part of a trusted environment. There are Open Source VOIP alternatives to Skye including the Ekiga. Why are users discouraged from adding / modifying the software on the computer? Administering a computer so that it is secure requires a very high level of skills. which are beyond the those of the public. The Trusted Computing Project is able to support very large numbers of computers at an affordable cost because every computer has an identical software configuration. How does the Trusted Computing Project work with suppliers of e-services / e-Government?# It is recognised that secure client computing is only one aspect of enabling secure e-services . e-Government. |