Abit throws gauntlet down to RIAA, governments
See the article here.

Basically, Abit has just released their newest power-user motherboard. Its dubbed the MAX3 - FYI - I own the MAX1. Its the version that has no legacy on it. It has: onboard firewire, 8 USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet etc etc. However, the most exciting feature is a new option that encrypts the data written to your hard drive on the fly, as the data is written to the disk in real time. In order for you to boot your computer you must insert a special usb-keychain drive that comes with the motherboard. This keychain litteraly contains the super-encrypted uber key that gives the motherboard access to the harddrive for daily use. If at any point the key is removed and subseqently destroyed, the data is lost forever(IE: keep a hammer handy next to the comp just in case the feds come a knockin').

To see more details about the motherboard go here. And to see more information about how the data is encrypted and how the key works, go here.

On another note: I think I'll be buying this or the evolutionary little brother of the board the next time I upgrade.