Following new information about Britain’s GCHQ agency collecting webcam surveillance data on over one million Yahoo users, Microsoft has reaffirmed their position on the infamous Kinect sensor that comes packaged with Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
While GCHQ admits that the Kinect was heavily considered as a way to monitor illegal activity within their home country, its maker attempted to calm consumer fears in a statement to Eurogamer.
“We’re concerned about any reports of governments collecting private customer data. In December we initiated a broad effort to expand encryption across our services and are advocating for legal reforms.”
While Microsoft hasn’t always been at the forefront of debate on these kinds of issues, gamers around the globe showed signs of concern when it was announced that Xbox One’s Kinect operates in an “always listening” state. The issue compounded at the end of 2013 when MS was accused of handing said data over to the NSA.
Since then, the makers of Xbox have been on a war path to clear up any and all confusion. The biggest step in this direction allowed those worried about monitoring scenarios to use Xbox One without having the camera connected at all.
Do you think Microsoft truly cares about spies exploiting their services? Drop a line in the comments section below!
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