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German minister: Xbone is a trojan

Ilse Aigner?

Ilse Aigner?

ILSE AIGNER?

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This is probably the best she has done in the past 10 years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jrCZYDwlvZY#t=25s





Well, I am surprised. Usually when there some kind of "scandal" arising she has a "top 10" list to combat these issues, of which not more than 2 points are realised. She's more words than actions and is usually fighting for the companies and industry instead of customers.

For Germans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thHawL2BSXM
 
michaelius said:
Weird ? They are extremly smart about it.
Maybe sometimes they go a bit overboard but still that's better than completly ignoring issues.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly!

Sometimes the conservative fears of german politicians are exaggerated, but all in all I´m happy that Germany (and the whole EU) don´t dance to the tune of big corps. regarding privacy protection.
 
Deku Tree said:
The camera on your iPad iPhone etc is usually off. It is not constantly recording you. And when it is on there is a green light that comes on to let you know. The xbone Kinect camera as it has been described by MS is totally different and creepy. Why don't more people get that?
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Because they are purposely being obtuse and not wanting to get it. Bottom line is what MS has proposed is COMPLETELY different. The thing is always on doing something, or how else would it be able to "respond" to your commands to turn on. The Camera is always on, rather it is recording or not is not important, fact is the game system can't be played without it, which defeats the purpose if you can just turn it off then why would they make it a requirement?
 
Kimawolf said:
Because they are purposely being obtuse and not wanting to get it. Bottom line is what MS has proposed is COMPLETELY different. The thing is always on doing something, or how else would it be able to "respond" to your commands to turn on. The Camera is always on, rather it is recording or not is not important, fact is the game system can't be played without it, which defeats the purpose if you can just turn it off then why would they make it a requirement?
Click to expand...

IIRC, they said there will be settings that allow you to turn all Kinect functionality off when not used by a game. Therefore, only during games that use Kinect would it then be on.

Then it wouldn't be on when the console is off, it wouldn't be listening for commands, it wouldn't be recording anything, it wouldn't be taping you while watching tv. If anything they might send a SQM data saying you've turned it off to see the percentage of people that use the feature.

They want Kinect to be a part of major games, and to use it in interesting ways. The only way to get devs to use it for their major titles is to include it in the box with every system. There are a lot of potentials with it, but its up to 1st parties to showcase them and get 3rd parties to explore the area.
 
Doikor said:
I'm still kinda baffled about this. Most people have smartphones in their pockets with them everywhere. They are always on. How are you not way more afraid of them having the mic open 24/7 and recording everything you say? I mean the kinect is in your tv room but the phone is with you to just about everywhere.
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How many times.

Phones are not encrypted.
 
Kimawolf said:
Because they are purposely being obtuse and not wanting to get it. Bottom line is what MS has proposed is COMPLETELY different. The thing is always on doing something, or how else would it be able to "respond" to your commands to turn on. The Camera is always on, rather it is recording or not is not important, fact is the game system can't be played without it, which defeats the purpose if you can just turn it off then why would they make it a requirement?
Click to expand...

Not important ? It's the whole point of the privacy discussions. If it is recording your image or your voice, it is collecting private information. If it isn't recording anything, it is no more a threat to your privacy than the automatic lights in your cellar.
 
Microsoft could fix this easily. Just don't require Kinect to be plugged in, but they won't do that. They want it plugged in and turned on and not because they want to spy on you while the system sleeps, but they do want it being used on a system level to help collect data on viewing habits. I probably will not buy one.

nLHDEKt.gif
 
Bgamer90 said:
Not everyone's phone is in their pocket when they go out in public.

Your phone may be, but that still doesn't stop the possibility of someone recording you when you're in public. And people can then send it out to other people and not just through wi-fi.

Also, a lot of phones can still record sounds clearly when inside a pocket.

Like honestly -- privacy has been dead for a while know thanks to tech/internet. Not saying that it's wrong to feel paranoid about Kinect and neither am I trying to defend it; it's just that I find it funny that these statements are being made in 2013 -- and on the internet no less.
Click to expand...

There is the difference. I don't have the public in my living room with their cell phones.
 
Beerman462 said:
Microsoft could fix this easily. Just don't require Kinect to be plugged in, but they won't do that.
Click to expand...

That wouldn't even solve much. It would only mean that they have the ability to record data from time to time (when the sensor is on), instead of all the time.

Whether the sensor is optional or required, always active or not, the question is about the data they will (or won't) collect. All that matters is their ability to come clean on that.
 
Who wants to bet that some hackers are going to get into an M$ employees box and stream live feed on the internet. That might cause some interesting changes to the xbone.
 
Bgamer90 said:
Not everyone's phone is in their pocket when they go out in public.

Your phone may be, but that still doesn't stop the possibility of someone recording you when you're in public. And people can then send it out to other people and not just through wi-fi.

Also, a lot of phones can still record sounds clearly when inside a pocket.

Like honestly -- privacy has been dead for a while know thanks to tech/internet. Not saying that it's wrong to feel paranoid about Kinect and neither am I trying to defend it; it's just that I find it funny that these statements are being made in 2013 -- and on the internet no less.
Click to expand...

yeah but i give up that right to guaranteed privacy when going into public, ive accepted that

in my own home? hell no
 
A second device being objectively worse at breaching privacy doesn't mean the first device suddenly gets a free pass. You can argue that a phone is worse until you're blue in the face, but it doesn't change the fact that the Kinect is still a privacy concern.

What irks me is what it does once it's turned on. You now have a device capable of minute human tracking, auditory cues, physical object recognition and heart rate monitoring. It is capable of collecting as much stats as it likes about how you react to what's on screen. Sounds like a data miner's wet dream.
 
What I really want to know, and nobody has said anything this far is if the new Kinect sensor can detect RFID data from peoples households? That would be friggen' HUGE and MS could potentially make millions and millions of dollars selling that data to retailers.
 
Untalkative_Bunny said:
German Minister, ffs. Should the media only quote govt members that agree with you?
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Yeah, we talk again when exactly these people praise gaming and its effects again.
she was useless as a politician so far and she ll stay that way. I dont care what the media quotes, but i am quite confused if gaf quotes such politicians.
minister is not a title which means "intelligent" or anything else.

This woman had her chance for years and did not gain anything. She didnt even show any competence.

Ffs
 
If the concern is that we can't trust a company to be truthful when they say "the voice features can be set differently based on the consumers privacy concerns," then this man must live in constant fear of cellphones, laptops and tablets, all of which are connected to microphones, cameras and a near-constant network connection.
 
If Microsotf is not able to communicate a clear stance on user privacy, they deserve all the flac they can possibly get.

If MS is not ready to do so now, in a time where the whole internet is on there asses, you know they have something to hide - and are "searching for answers" now.
 
Doikor said:
I'm still kinda baffled about this. Most people have smartphones in their pockets with them everywhere. They are always on. How are you not way more afraid of them having the mic open 24/7 and recording everything you say? I mean the kinect is in your tv room but the phone is with you to just about everywhere.
Click to expand...

You can turn GPS and data transfer off with smart phones, while they still remain usable, and install security apps to protect your privacy.
 
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