• "Xbox One is a surveillance device" claims German federal commissioner for privacy protection.
    45 replies, posted
[QUOTE]German federal commissioner for privacy protection: "Xbox One is a surveillance device"[/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Microsoft's new game console Germany's top privacy advocates worried. The Xbox one is a "monitor", Peter Schaar, told SPIEGEL. Users could not control what information would be stored on it.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://translate.google.no/translate?sl=de&tl=en&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/ueberwachung-datenschuetzer-peter-schaar-kritisiert-microsofts-xbox-one-a-901893.html"]Click me for a translated version of the article.[/URL] [URL="http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/ueberwachung-datenschuetzer-peter-schaar-kritisiert-microsofts-xbox-one-a-901893.html"]German speaking folk click here.[/URL]
[QUOTE=Rockeiro123;40794865][URL="http://translate.google.no/translate?sl=de&tl=en&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&eotf=1&u=http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/ueberwachung-datenschuetzer-peter-schaar-kritisiert-microsofts-xbox-one-a-901893.html"]Click me for a translated version of the article.[/URL] [URL="http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/ueberwachung-datenschuetzer-peter-schaar-kritisiert-microsofts-xbox-one-a-901893.html"]German speaking folk click here.[/URL][/QUOTE] he's right through
But where else will I play all my lion king VHS tapes? Anyway, could this lead to a lawsuit or something along those lines?
[QUOTE=MajorMattem;40794905]But where else will I play all my lion king VHS tapes? Anyway, could this lead to a lawsuit or something along those lines?[/QUOTE] They aren't forced to take in the xbox one they can just ban it from germany :v:
Think they might be jumping the gun on this. As much hate as there is for the Xbox One, there still just isn't enough information to say anything tangible. Also laptops have webcams pre-installed, so are they surveillance devices?
[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;40794933]Think they might be jumping the gun on this. As much hate as there is for the Xbox One, there still just isn't enough information to say anything tangible. Also laptops have webcams pre-installed, so are they surveillance devices?[/QUOTE] I'm pretty damn sure most laptop's webcams don't have facial recognition software, or can detect your pulse, or can count how many people are in the room.
[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;40794933]Think they might be jumping the gun on this. As much hate as there is for the Xbox One, there still just isn't enough information to say anything tangible. Also laptops have webcams pre-installed, so are they surveillance devices?[/QUOTE] Laptops also don't have patents where your webcams watch you twenty four seven and scan the room for people to see if they need to inflict DRM because to many people are looking at the screen.
[QUOTE=Rockeiro123;40794945]I'm pretty damn sure most laptop's webcams don't have facial recognition software, or can detect your pulse, or can count how many people are in the room.[/QUOTE] Also you can turn it off.
[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;40794933]Think they might be jumping the gun on this. As much hate as there is for the Xbox One, there still just isn't enough information to say anything tangible. Also laptops have webcams pre-installed, so are they surveillance devices?[/QUOTE] You have been paying attention right? The Kinect is "always on"
[QUOTE=Sir_takeslot;40794955] scan the room for people to see if they need to inflict DRM because to many people are looking at the screen.[/QUOTE] That's just bullshit speculation.
[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;40794933]Think they might be jumping the gun on this. As much hate as there is for the Xbox One, there still just isn't enough information to say anything tangible. Also laptops have webcams pre-installed, so are they surveillance devices?[/QUOTE] Laptops don't come with always online drm and facial recognition.
[QUOTE=Killuah;40794973]That's just bullshit speculation.[/QUOTE] Uh. They have a patent on it. That isn't speculation. If they implement it or not, is the problem.
I hate to say it because it shouldn't be something I or anyone should advocate because it's games and we're all here for fun, but I'm really enjoying the downfall of the xbox one. Microsoft have shown their hand and it's an incredibly pretentious device created for all the wrong reasons when viewed from the perspective of the consumer and if it flops, I'll smile and play on my PS4 :v:
[quote]Some media articles also pointed out that the gaming console can be switched on with a voice command. This means that the microphones of the console have to be online even in standby mode.[/quote] Huh, never thought about that. The abuse potential for this and similar technologies is immense, I'm glad it's getting some attention. I doubt Germany will ban the XBOX One or something (tho stranger things have happened), but I appreciate the government taking a stern look. Until politicians pull out the "video games turn people into killers" card again anyway.
[QUOTE=danharibo;40794969]You have been paying attention right? The Kinect is "always on"[/QUOTE] tape over it
As far as my amateur knowledge goes the big problem is that "systematic passive data collection" is forbidden in Germany. What is meant that the user does nothing to trigger the data collection and that is forbidden.
[QUOTE=Megadick;40795063]tape over it[/QUOTE] "If you don't like how our camera is always on and microphone is always active then buy a sound-muffling box and some duct tape! Because we're a company that cares"
[QUOTE=Megadick;40795063]tape over it[/QUOTE] This could damage the lens though. I'd rather turn it around to face the wall if anything, but that's à lot of trouble to go through to play on a mediocre console.
[QUOTE=GoldenBullet;40795018]I hate to say it because it shouldn't be something I or anyone should advocate because it's games and we're all here for fun, but I'm really enjoying the downfall of the xbox one. Microsoft have shown their hand and it's an incredibly pretentious device created for all the wrong reasons when viewed from the perspective of the consumer and if it flops, I'll smile and play on my PS4 :v:[/QUOTE] Sony have yet to show everything about the PS4, hell we haven't even seen it yet apart from the controller. But I do hope that Sony won't be pulling anything like this.
[QUOTE=Scarabix;40794975]Laptops don't come with always online drm and facial recognition.[/QUOTE] Facial recognition is just a software thing and can work with any camera, my phone camera has it
[QUOTE=Zeke129;40795300]Facial recognition is just a software thing and can work with any camera, my phone camera has it[/QUOTE] Which is why i said "it comes with facial recognition" and not "it has". You can't toggle it off and it's on your console whether you want it or not.
If they use the kinect to calculate how much to charge you for movies based on how many people are in the room I hope their company dies a horrible financial death.
[QUOTE=Killuah;40794964]Also you can turn it off.[/QUOTE] Xbox One has a "feature" were you can't turn it off, it merely goes to sleep instead.
ok now might i suggest the obvious answer like perhaps plugging the x1 into a outlet/power strip with a switch???
[QUOTE=LordCrypto;40796403]ok now might i suggest the obvious answer like perhaps plugging the x1 into a outlet/power strip with a switch???[/QUOTE] Nah, they deserve the right to watch me jack off.
It is way, way, [b]way[/b] too early for consumer advocacy groups to start ringing the alarms and looking for legislation. Features could easily be added, dropped, or changed before release. Things can be misreported, rumors can be exaggerated, ideas that were discussed can be quietly tossed out without a second look. Right now it's basically gossip.
[QUOTE=catbarf;40796497]It is way, way, [b]way[/b] too early for consumer advocacy groups to start ringing the alarms and looking for legislation. Features could easily be added, dropped, or changed before release. Things can be misreported, rumors can be exaggerated, ideas that were discussed can be quietly tossed out without a second look. Right now it's basically gossip.[/QUOTE] I don't think its ever to early to start ringing alarms, legislation, yeah, but raising a din can help spread awareness and show the perpetrator that they are going down the wrong path.
Yes, that's exactly what it is. A camera and mic in your house running 24/7 and connected to a console that, frankly, you don't really have any control over. Microsoft requires it to be connected to their servers 24/7, and they can push updates and modify things at any time. It's a dystopian privacy nightmare any way you look at it.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;40795300]Facial recognition is just a software thing and can work with any camera, my phone camera has it[/QUOTE] true but more powerful software combined with more powerful hardware gives the kinect a definite edge over any camera when it comes to these applications it can recognize individual people already at this stage. It can tell who's holding a controller and who's not. It can tell those peoples pulses. It can count how many people are in the room. Whether this will be used to good or bad effect is yet to be seen, but the Kinect has a serious potential for things.
My dad apparently had a hand in the development of the Kinect 2 and I have a feeling that he knew full well what it could do. Brb ensuring that my genes willl not be passed down.
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