14 DAY TRIAL // After Microsoft revealed the Xbox One last week and its next-generation Kinect sensor that will always listen to the voices of people in the room, some major privacy concerns have been expressed by officials from both Australia and Germany.
The Xbox One was presented to the world last week, with Microsoft emphasizing that, with the new and improved Kinect sensor, the console will constantly listen to owners and respond to commands like "Xbox on" and other such things.
Having a monitoring device that constantly listens to chatter is a breach of privacy, at least according to Tim Vines, the director of Australia's Civil Liberties organization, who talked with GamesFix about Microsoft's new device.
According to him, the company should either implement an option to turn the constant monitoring off or, if not, consumers should just buy another console.
"People should have the ability to turn off the camera or microphone, even if it limits the functionality of the machine," Vines said.
"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," Vines added.
Microsoft is also in trouble in Germany, as the Federal Data Protection Commissioner, Peter Schaar, has revealed that Microsoft's new console is a "twisted nightmare."
"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," he said.
As of yet, Microsoft hasn't made any statements concerning the privacy settings of the new Xbox One.