CBS/AP are
reporting "Microsoft Corp.'s plan to hardwire computer security into a silicon chip rather than relying on software alone will make its debut in the next release of the Windows PC operating system that will ship late next year. The technology, to be described by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates during a speech in Seattle on Monday, will protect the startup of PCs equipped with a security chip and ensure that sensitive files aren't accessible when someone tries to boot the computer using a portable hard drive or floppy disk."
This may increase security, but it seems that it will also shift the control of security. Not clear what that would mean for freedoms of users to control their data and applications. One advantage is that your sensitive data may remain secure even if the computer is booted from someone an alternative boot drive, like a jump drive.