Is it really disabled though? The hardware is still there unless you extract the chip itself. For example, Intel's AMT exists at a level so far below the softwa

Is it really disabled though? The hardware is still there unless you extract the chip itself. For example, Intel's AMT exists at a level so far below the software and UEFI/BIOS that you can have just power and Ethernet/wifi plugged into the board, and it will "phone home" if it is configured to. Boards with GSM modules can even be controlled remotely via SMS commands. I realize that TPM and AMT are completely different animals, but AMT shows us that a low level "security" device on board can potentially mean compromised privacy and loss of control.