Trusted Gentoo was a concept brought out by realizing that Trusted Computing Group (TCG - formerly known as Trusted Computing Platform Alliance or TCPA) architecture can provide Gentoo with the ability to give our users a hardened platform and a choice of utilizing hardware. The way that TCG provides a hardened platform is by keeping cryptographic processing in hardware and cryptographic keys out of RAM and disks. It also allows keys to be provided to only user-specified programs.

Trusted Gentoo will give users the choice to set up their hardware to verify that their kernels are loaded on bootup and not some hacked ones that someone installed when they left their computers alone for the night. Trusted Gentoo will give users the ability to store their cryptographic keys (e.g. ssh keys, gnupg keys) in hardware to be released only to those applications the user wants the keys given to. The concept of installing remote trojans to steal crytographic keys and passwords is hard to imagine but not impossible in all setups. The use of TCG architecture will empower the user to deny providing keys to trojans.

There is no intent for Gentoo to use of the TCG architecture for any purpose other than what the user wants -- a secure, still-flexible operating system. Gentoo is about choice, and this is no exception. For a clarification of DRM and TCG, see this article by IBM.