[liberationtech] German Official Expresses Concerns Over Xbox One Privacy

[Griffin Boyce]

  In the newest Xbox gaming console, Microsoft includes a Kinect by
default and closely integrates it with the functioning of the console.
 For those who don't know, Kinect is a combination video camera,
motion-detector, and audio recorder in one.  Right now, the Kinect is
an optional add-on used to play games, but Microsoft is promoting it
as a not-optional/always-on "feature" of their new gaming environment.

  Now, one might be thinking that this is no big deal, and that this
is some frivolous First World Gamer Problem.  And one would not be
wrong to think that.  But it is also a serious concern for those of us
who play video games.  The new kinect is fascinating but also a little
terrifying.  It can see in the dark, detect human voices, determine
your mood, and even detect your pulse[1].  Coupled with the fact that
most consoles will be continuously connected to the internet[2], the
new Xbox represents an interesting attack surface.

  There are a few places covering this, including Speigel, with
English-language articles on Escapist and Kotaku.

http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/games/ueberwachung-datenschuetzer-peter-schaar-kritisiert-microsofts-xbox-one-a-901893.html
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/124384-German-Official-Expresses-Xbox-One-Privacy-Concerns
http://kotaku.com/xbox-ones-kinect-can-turn-off-microsoft-says-noting-510100564

~Griffin

[1] http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2013/05/22/the-new-xbox-one-kinect-tracks-your-heart-rate-happiness-hands-and-hollers/
[2] http://mp1st.com/2013/05/24/xbox-one-will-authenticate-check-games-regularly/

--
Technical Program Associate, Open Technology Institute
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