ioriyagami
Member
The only satisfactory answer is guaranteeing that the data used by Kinect never leaves the Xbox One, which is something they can easily control by software. Anything else is just not enough.
Seriously though.... The first Kinect could have done the same thing, as can all the webcams that people have plugged into their computers. But for some reason people think this thing was seriously designed to control your every move, lol.
The government could tap your phone, tap into your smartphone and watch you through it's camera, watch you from the clouds via a drone, and many other much more resourceful ways than from viewing through your Kinect, if for some strange, idiosyncratic reason your life is actually that interesting that your government wants to watch your every move..
welp
So what if I Skype using kinect? Am I fucked?
What is most remarkable about the quote in the OP is that it's basically backdoor admitting that it is indeed possible for Kinect to spy on us, but they'd just aggressive fight any attempts by the government to attempt that.
So, even if you BELIEVED Microsoft would do that, we now know it's possible for Kinect to spy on its users, and we now know some level of data collection will likely be possible upon request, and given the history with Skype, we also know that "aggressively challenging" the government simply means bending over and taking it.
More to the point, even IF they aggressively challenged the government and made it public, that doesn't change the problem. Because there are damn good odds the government would win that case, and then Kinect would be exactly the tool everyone feared it would be.
I cannot believe they don't realize how dumb this latest PR statement is. Microsoft truly is on some next-level ish if they think they've been competent in handling even a single aspect of the Xbox One to date.
The american goverment uses Microsoft services to spy. Services which are part of Xbox One, including Kinect.
Happy now?
What is the difference between Kinect and Skype Microsoft?
Microsoft actually did "aggressively fight" the government over whether they should have to un-bundle IE back in the 90's. They were in court for years - and won, for the most part. Remember that?
But that was about marketshare, monopoly, and money. Important things. Not, you know, rights and privacy and those silly things you can't put a value on. When the government wanted information, well, it didn't cost Microsoft anything to provide it, but it would have cost money to go to court in an attempt not to.
Now, though, they're about to launch an important new product, and it's at risk of selling worse due to this controversy. So again, money's at stake.
Do I believe they'll "aggressively fight" such a thing? No. But they might spend some money to make it appear that way, under the right circumstances.
.Skype is an actual conversation between people where terrorist intelligence can be gathered. A lot of international communication goes through skype because it's cheaper. Kinect is just reading your body movements for games. In what way would that be useful to the NSA?
The only satisfactory answer is guaranteeing that the data used by Kinect never leaves the Xbox One, which is something they can easily control by software. Anything else is just not enough.
What is most remarkable about the quote in the OP is that it's basically backdoor admitting that it is indeed possible for Kinect to spy on us, but they'd just aggressive fight any attempts by the government to attempt that.
So, even if you BELIEVED Microsoft would do that, we now know it's possible for Kinect to spy on its users, and we now know some level of data collection will likely be possible upon request, and given the history with Skype, we also know that "aggressively challenging" the government simply means bending over and taking it.
More to the point, even IF they aggressively challenged the government and made it public, that doesn't change the problem. Because there are damn good odds the government would win that case, and then Kinect would be exactly the tool everyone feared it would be.
I cannot believe they don't realize how dumb this latest PR statement is. Microsoft truly is on some next-level ish if they think they've been competent in handling even a single aspect of the Xbox One to date.
Skype is an actual conversation between people where terrorist intelligence can be gathered. A lot of international communication goes through skype because it's cheaper. Kinect is just reading your body movements for games. In what way would that be useful to the NSA?
Skype is an actual conversation between people where terrorist intelligence can be gathered. A lot of international communication goes through skype because it's cheaper. Kinect is just reading your body movements for games. In what way would that be useful to the NSA?
Just about everyone here would do the same thing in their position, the government is the real problem.
Skype is an actual conversation between people where terrorist intelligence can be gathered. A lot of international communication goes through skype because it's cheaper. Kinect is just reading your body movements for games. In what way would that be useful to the NSA?
Not if you've done nothing wrong. You HAVE done nothing wrong, right?
A position they are putting themselves in unnecessarily due to making Kinect mandatory, easily fixed by reversing that decision.)
Or..you know...by having the Xbox be able to go offline...
Wait...
Or...you know...by being able to disable the Kinect...
Wait...
It's not just reading your body movements. It listens and responds to voice commands even if the system is in sleep mode.
Why the sudden comment? Rewind two months back when people were talking about this (pre-US spying on everyone newsstory), they didn't fucking comment on our fears then..
Oh, that's right, Microsoft only responds when the media is sniffing up their but - not when the fans of their products, the ones that's buying their shit, they don't listen or calm them down.
Or..you know...by having the Xbox be able to go offline...
Wait...
Or...you know...by being able to disable the Kinect...
Wait...
You can unplug Kinect? link please...
Lol, "I don't want to know the truth, just let me stay ignorant of the fact!"This actually makes me more worried!
I wish Microsoft had just kept quiet...
some of you..
I have no idea how you can think the government doesn't have a heavy hand in this when they already have the power to demand access to the data.
So MS just admitted that it is possible for the Kinect to spy on people?
why would anyone need a tinfoil hat when this comment factually confirms by Microsoft it is possible to spy on people and that this precise thing already happened to Skype where Microsoft bent over, literally designed a backdoor to make spying on people easier, and we have wide ranging evidence from the NSA/PRISM that Microsoft puts up virtually no fight whatsoever.
you guys are fucking hilarious. put down the company worship and deal with the facts.
Unfortunately some things are outside of people's comfort zones, hence a lot of times difficult to accept.why would anyone need a tinfoil hat when this comment factually confirms by Microsoft it is possible to spy on people and that this precise thing already happened to Skype where Microsoft bent over, literally designed a backdoor to make spying on people easier, and we have wide ranging evidence from the NSA/PRISM that Microsoft puts up virtually no fight whatsoever.
you guys are fucking hilarious. put down the company worship and deal with the facts.
some of you..
why would anyone need a tinfoil hat when this comment factually confirms by Microsoft it is possible to spy on people and that this precise thing already happened to Skype where Microsoft bent over, literally designed a backdoor to make spying on people easier, and we have wide ranging evidence from the NSA/PRISM that Microsoft puts up virtually no fight whatsoever.
you guys are fucking hilarious. put down the company worship and deal with the facts.
Did I say unplug or disconnect? http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/privacy
You can turn off those voice features. Not only that, but going offline renders data transfer impossible.
Exactly. The tinfoil hat excuse went right out the window now, warriors
Aggressively challenge? How about don't let them use it period?