Trusted Computing for mobile devices

There is a new specification for mobile phone security called the Mobile Security Specification. It is essentially trusted computing for cell phones.

The specification has been years in development, said Janne Uusilehto, head of Nokia product security and the chairman of the working group developing this technology. "It is a big deal. This is the first time that we have created such common security specifications for all handheld devices," Uusilehto said.

When these devices appear, they will make things more difficult for data thieves and mobile virus writers. Down the line, the technology could be used to build electronic wallets into mobile phones. In general terms, the specification calls on hardware vendors to store protected information in a secure area of the phones. Similar to the Trusted Platform Module used in PCs, this technology could be used to ensure that the phone's operating system, applications and data have not been tampered with.

All the usual trusted computing warnings apply here, but perhaps more so as cell carriers maintain a 'walled garden' and can limit the devices available. They are also essentially 'tri-opolies'. It seems likely that you will be able to buy a computer without TCP in the future. You might not be able to buy a cell phone without it (that works on a carrier).

That being said, it might not be a big deal, if you can have a VOIP mobile phone running on a WiMax network...