31.   Privacy groups, however, asserted that the number could be used to track people surfing the Internet.

32.   Privacy rights groups have been particularly angered because until recently, FBI officials had stated publicly that law enforcement agencies had no interest in precise location information.

33.   Privacy groups had fought to restrict the monitoring powers contained in the bills.

34.   Privacy groups have long warned about the dangers of centralized information and electronic monitoring.

35.   Privacy rights groups were furious and demanded that Intel change the signature setup, saying it would allow companies to build detailed consumer profiles that could be sold.

36.   Some privacy watchdog groups say lighter-than-air craft could whip up heavy controversy, depending on the nature of the surveillance.

37.   Some privacy groups also expressed concerns.

38.   Stung by an uproar from privacy groups, Intel Corp. is changing a feature on its latest microprocessors that would automatically identify an individual computer on the Internet.

39.   Such statements have done little to mollify privacy groups, however.

40.   That capability has touched off an internal debate within at least one privacy rights group in the United States.