I'm not sure how serious you guys are...

by Ragashingo , Official DBO Cryptarch, Tuesday, May 28, 2013, 21:27 (3982 days ago) @ Xenos

...but just to point out again, according to Microsoft the Kinect will be able to be turned off:

From the article:

"If you want privacy, we'll give you modes that ensure your privacy."

Modes? Like off I hope?

Microsoft's new Xbox meets the definition of a surveillance device under some Australian laws

Uh oh!

Berlin's federal data protection commissioner Peter Schaar has also expressed concerns, via the same piece. "The Xbox One continuously records all sorts of personal information about me. My reaction rates, my learning or emotional states. These are then processed on an external server, and possibly even passed on to third parties. The fact that Microsoft could potentially spy on my living room is merely a twisted nightmare.

Double oh oh!

"We aren't using Kinect to snoop on anybody at all. We listen for the word 'Xbox on' and then switch on the machine, but we don't transmit personal data in any way, shape or form…

Oh good!

…that could be personally identifiable to you, unless you explicitly opt into that."

Wait a minute!

:p

Really I'm just having fun with it.

The biggest threat an always on spy camera in my living room poses to me is causing me to hit my bandwidth cap.

Don't get me wrong. I don't particularly want a Kinect. They didn't really prove that they could make it useful with the 360 and I'm somewhat doubtful that they can make it useful with the Xbone. I'd suffer without being able to talk to my console if they'd knock $50 - $100 off the price. But the privacy issues don't concern me. Microsoft isn't that stupid. And on the off chance they are some kid with a packet sniffer will call them on it one week into launch and it will be fixed.