sanquin said:
1: That's a problem already. Why on earth would you buy a console that requires you to do such things for it to not be able to spy on you in the first place? Especially when it's competitors don't have the same problem.
2: A big deal has already been made out of it. It can grow bigger still, yes, but it's already a big deal. Doesn't mean they'll be discouraged to do it in the future.
3: Once again, why would you want a console that requires you to do such things in the first place?
True, smartphones are a more effective way of spying. But you can turn off (most) of those features permanently quite easily. There's the whole PRISM debacle, but that's a different topic.
In other words, a console that (at least in my case) requires me to block the camera and mic with something, and disconnect/reconnect it to the internet every time I start/stop playing is not a console I want to own.
Heck I wouldn't even ever use the Kinect. My current console is standing inside a small cabinet, and I like it there. There is no room for a Kinect to even work.
And finally: Sure, you CAN block the camera and mic, and you CAN disconnect it every time. But people are too used to convenience these days. So they don't want to do those things. They might at first, but then that laziness will kick in and they'll just go 'eh, fuck it'. At least, if they bought one in the first place.
Alright, I know this response is kinda TL;DR but please read it anyway before anyone responds or I'm not going to take you seriously.
When I buy the console, I'm not REQUIRED to do anything with it. I'm saying a 5-year-old could thwart this device's supposed data collection. Ergo, I HIGHLY doubt Microsoft is intentionally going to spy on people with this device along with other reasons that are listed above in the OP and below. As to why I would buy such a console is another matter entirely which I will not discuss right now. That's a different topic.
1. and 3.: I'm not saying you have to or should. Just that you can. If Microsoft really wanted to make a device or software designed to effectively spy on you, they're more than capable of doing it and a lot less conspicuously too.
2. Whether they will be discouraged or not is irrelevant at present. The point is they could get caught red-handed VERY easily. They're not going to take that chance just to nab some piddly extra bucks from selling information to advertisers.
And which brings me yet ANOTHER point.
4. A lot of people don't have a stable internet connection or don't want the Xbox connected even sometimes as a lot of people were so keen to point out before Microsoft shifted in reverse. This just makes the Kinect look even WORSE as a spying device as it can't spy on all of its intended targets.
And to answer your last point, if the public don't want to take precautions to make sure Microsoft doesn't spy on them then that's their choice. They also have a choice to not use a smartphone or any such device capable of tracking them. If they don't care enough to do either such things then protesting this Kinect is simply wasting your time which is exactly what I'm trying to tell everyone.
Now, even with all of the above points, can one still use this product to spy on people at an occasional rate? Probably. Just as many other devices and software can be used to spy on you. You can't have it both ways when it comes to privacy unless you want to be a hypocrite. If you trash the Kinect because of its privacy issues then you should be trashing Facebook, Twitter, your online email provider, Windows, iOS, your phone, and etc. as they can all be used to spy on you. If not, then you have no grounds to whine about privacy issues with a device that's probably even less likely to spy on you than the above mentioned.
