The XBOX ONE as a Surveillance Device

Germany and Australia, two large and thriving countries, officially declared the Xbox one as a surveillance device.

Here’s what  German Federal Data Protection Commissioner, Peter Schaar, had to say  on the subject:

“Under the heading, gaming device ‘Microsoft pushes a monitoring device in the market. The Xbox continuously records all sorts of personal information about me. Reaction rates, my ability to learn or emotional states. They are then processed on an external server, and possibly even passed on to third parties. Whether they will ever deleted, the person can not influence.”

Australia isn’t too happy with Microsoft either. Australia’s Nine MSN gaming division spotted quotes from the Civil Liberty Director, Tim Vines, who stated:

“People should have the ability to turn off the camera or microphone, even if it limits the functionality of the machine,” [privacy is] “all about control”.

“Of course, if Microsoft doesn’t allow that (control), then people should vote with their wallets and skip the next Xbox.”

“Microsoft’s new Xbox meets the definition of a surveillance device under some Australian laws, so they need to be upfront and tell customers whether anyone else can intercept their information or remotely access their device.”

 

Check out some of the Xbox’s new features below. What are some of your thoughts? How does a console designed for entertainment act so similarly to a monitoring device? Leave your comments in the box below!

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