The issue is, that Intel isn't supportive. Intel makes changes irrespective of Intel ME cleaner which has broken Intel ME cleaner in the past and can break Intel ME cleaner in the future.
Intel ME cleaner has been deprecated. No git commits since ~ 6 years. Github issues are not being replied to.
Intel ME cannot be removed completely.
|quote=We cannot remove it completely, otherwise the machine will shut itself off after 30 minutes. We can, however, reduce it to the bare minimum necessary to keep it running, but without any malicious code in it (or so we hope, depending of what the ROMP and BUP modules really do…).
|https://osresearch.net/Clean-the-ME-firmware/
|quote=Researchers believe Intel has added the ME disabling bit at the behest of the NSA, who needed a method of disabling ME as a security measure for computers running in highly sensitive environments.
|context=[https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/hardware/researchers-find-a-way-to-disable-much-hated-intel-me-component-courtesy-of-the-nsa/ Researchers Find a Way to Disable Much-Hated Intel ME Component Courtesy of the NSA]
* https://global.ptsecurity.com/analytics/disabling-intel-me-11-via-undocumented-mode
|quote=Linux-specific OEMs System76 and Purism and top-tier PC builder Dell -- have decided to offer computers with disabled ME.
|context=https://www.zdnet.com/article/computer-vendors-start-disabling-intel-management-engine/
* https://puri.sm/posts/deep-dive-into-intel-me-disablement/
* https://puri.sm/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/intel-me-status-eye-1024x223.png
OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
Simpler for OEMs due to Intel ME Manufacturing Mode.
* https://hub.packtpub.com/intel-me-has-a-manufacturing-mode-vulnerability-and-even-giant-manufacturers-like-apple-are-not-immune-say-researchers/
* https://conference.hitb.org/hitbsecconf2018dxb/materials/D1T1%20-%20The%20Phantom%20Menace-%20Intel%20ME%20Manufacturing%20Mode%20-%20Maxim%20Goryachy%20and%20Mark%20Ermolov.pdf
|quote=Purism receives Intel processors with manufacturing mode enabled, which lets us test various configurations and set various options allowing us to have a future where users control their device.
|context=https://puri.sm/learn/intel-me/
Why Purism has the uncommon ability to run a freed ME
The reason the Intel ME is so impenetrable is that you have to combine hardware selection, hardware configuration, hardware fuses, and firmware, which requires to push into the manufacturing and fabrication process. There is no other way to do it consistently over time. This is one of the many reasons Purism started as an organization: to solve really hard problems by manufacturing hardware that can fully respect users freedoms in the future. As mentioned in Purism Business Model and Vision, the model of “buy hardware, install free software” is aging, due primarily to the fact that there is a growing cryptographic bond between proprietary non-free signed binaries and the hardware that they run on. This bond renders it mathematically impossible to give each user control. Cryptography is superb when in the hands and control of each user, but it is nasty when it strips the users’ control.
Purism learned through the supply chain (and the provided manufacturing documentation) that we, as the motherboard fabricator, have a lot more control than the end-user does with regard to the [http://www.anandtech.com/show/5078/intel-haswell-info-single-chip-for-ultrabooks-gt3-gpu-for-mobile-lga1150-for-desktop Multichip Package (MCP)]. Choosing Purism as the manufacturer gives each user freedom, privacy, and security because Purism believes in giving users freedom, privacy, and security. These options would probably never see the light of day otherwise.
|context=https://puri.sm/learn/intel-me/
[https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/wiki/How-to-apply-me_cleaner Intel ME cleaner is hardware specific. And difficult to use for users.]
Cleaning existing, old Intel ME infested hardware might be difficult, impossible and users are on their own.
Intel ME removal is realistically in the realm of OEMs (original equipment manufacturer).
Hardware vendors with (some?) Intel ME disabled, neutered or removed notebooks, computers:
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