Update - sebastianguy99 has pointed out that the story has been updated and the German government has stepped back from their original claim. I think the problem is with the word "backdoor". They still have the same concerns but acknowledge that for many users having TPM enabled by default is a good thing. They still have concerns about using Windows 8 in critical infrastructure due to the increased risk of bricking the system.
The updated statement can be found here.
I'll add a strong caveat of my own. If you're running Windows 7 and attempt an upgrade to Windows 8, be very careful. If the manufacturer of your system has a certificate already stored in TPM and it has expired, when Windows 8 enables TPM it may brick your system.
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This story is making the rounds in tech circles but I've seen no mention of it here.
TPM is the Trusted Platform Module. The idea is to enhance security by controlling what software and hardware can be used on the system. There seems to be a fatal flaw.
From the minute you turn on the system for the first, you are not in control of your system. Microsoft is. There's speculation that the keys to TPM might be shared with NSA and worse, since computers are built in China, the Chinese manufactures would have the key to every new computer.
More across the break.
The story comes from the German government.
Rather unusually, this has prompted Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI in German) to issue a statement about these press reports. Here's a rough translation of the key paragraph:
From the BSI's perspective, the use of Windows 8 combined with TPM 2.0 is accompanied by a loss of control over the operating system and the hardware used. As a result, new risks arise for the user, especially for the federal government and for those providing critical infrastructure. In particular, on hardware running Windows 8 that employs TPM 2.0, unintentional errors of hardware or the operating system, but also errors made by the owner of the IT system, could create conditions that prevent further operation of the system. This can even lead to both the operating system and the hardware employed becoming permanently unusable. Such a situation would not be acceptable for either the federal authorities or for other users. In addition, the newly-established mechanisms can also be used for sabotage by third parties. These risks must to be addressed.
We seem to be on a losing streak these days.
The untranslated BSI press release is here.