Microsoft: KINECT can be turned off, will have privacy settings


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"It is not always watching or always listening,"

"Yes, you can turn the system completely off". "This would use no power and turn everything off. We?ll share more details about how it all works later."

"We are designing the new Kinect with simple, easy methods to customize privacy settings, provide clear notifications and meaningful privacy choices for how data will be used, stored and shared,"

"We know our customers want and expect strong privacy protections to be built into our products, devices and services, and for companies to be responsible stewards of their data. Microsoft has more than ten years of experience making privacy a top priority. Kinect for Xbox 360 was designed and built with strong privacy protections in place and the new Kinect will continue this commitment. We?ll share more details later."

http://kotaku.com/xb...oting-510100564

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Of course it can be turned off. But can it be turned off while playing a non kinect game?

Does it matter if it's on or not when you play a game though? It's just sitting there waiting for you to either tell it a command or do some of the new hand gestures, it's not recording and sending video in real-time back to MS.

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You guys are missing the point, how many people do you know use all the features of a system? the second they have to stray away into settings they become confused and don't bother with it, This means all these features will be set to on, because if they were set to off nobody would have them on for any viable reason.

But if you're completely retarded, like say.... the entire population of earth, then you'll find that a lot of systems will have these settings still switched on.

It will take some sort of TV/Magazine headline to get people interested enough to change this, even then MS will say " we told you so..." then We'll have to listen to ****ing endless pish that we already knew years ago while some dummy is being interviewed on TV "Oh I can't believe a children toy had these settings built in, what if a paedophile climbed into my childrens room through the television" and other incoherent stupidity that I can't even imagine.

If I get an xbox one I'll be turning that **** off, do I think they'll be using it for sinister reasons? not really, but do I think MS will use it to help "marketing" yes, they'll be able to find out what a bunch of stupid people do when they have a games console, well done MS, you've did it!

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Does it matter if it's on or not when you play a game though? It's just sitting there waiting for you to either tell it a command or do some of the new hand gestures, it's not recording and sending video in real-time back to MS.

Funny thought: Most of the people complaining about this are probably posting from a PC with a webcam+mic (and a good percentage of them are using Google Chrome).

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Does it matter if it's on or not when you play a game though? It's just sitting there waiting for you to either tell it a command or do some of the new hand gestures, it's not recording and sending video in real-time back to MS.

Yes. To be honest i don't care about kinect (nor do i care about the Wii or Move).

I don't want to play Kinect games. When i get home and sit down to play games i do it to relax not to wave my hands like an idiot or speak to my console like a lunatic.

I don't mind kinect being "given' with the One. It's a nice addition. But it's nice as long as i can put it in a closet and get it out only when i do a party with friends.

Kinect needing to be always connected will actually be part of my decision to not buy the One (i bought and owned an Xbox and three 360s). It needing to be powered on while playing non kinect games would make it even worse to me.

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You guys are missing the point, how many people do you know use all the features of a system? the second they have to stray away into settings they become confused and don't bother with it, This means all these features will be set to on, because if they were set to off nobody would have them on for any viable reason.

more than a third of the people who bought an xbox360 bought a Kinect,so saying they would never turn that feature on is not true.

If I get an xbox one I'll be turning that **** off

great, that's what the privacy settings are there for. don't like it, turn it off.

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Funny thought: Most of the people complaining about this are probably posting from a PC with a webcam+mic (and a good percentage of them are using Google Chrome).

My web cam is turned off. In fact it's not even connected right now. it's on a shelf on my computer desk. I use it seldomly for Skype calls.

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But if you're completely retarded, like say.... the entire population of earth,

then I take it you're not from earth then or you're also included in that retarded bunch you're talking about?

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more than a third of the people who bought an xbox360 bought a Kinect,so saying they would never turn that feature on is not true.

great, that's what the privacy settings are there for. don't like it, turn it off.

What I'm saying is people are stupid, Microsoft know full well that most people wont have a ****ing clue what their xbox is doing, kinext sold because children imagine kinect to be something it isnt and women want it to find an easy way of losing weight, use it a couple of times then never use it again.

the reality of it is, people like the idea of kinect, but that's it, only the idea.

now all this privacy **** wont mean a thing to your average 'soccer mom' and her dumb kids will be too busy calling people ******s on call of duty to care that MS are doing whatever behind the scenes, this unfortunately is the reality of it.

I like the idea of kinect, there's potential for good with it, but it's just being used for gathering marketing statistics and for more stupid dance games.

then I take it you're not from earth then or you're also included in that retarded bunch you're talking about?

yes, we're a ****ing idiotic race, we consume everything and we mash our fingers on bits of plastic on digital thingys because we're trying to keep our minds of our impeding death.

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I think by say "it can be powered down" the are talking about the whole system and set it to a zero or near-zero power state, not the Kinect itself.

I was really surprised that the current Kinect doesnt have a camera light on it when it's transmitting a video feed (like chat, etc).

The bio-metric data that MS will be collecting from this wont only be used in real-time but will be used to gauge reaction, awareness and interest in the content on the screen.

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What I'm saying is people are stupid, Microsoft know full well that most people wont have a ****ing clue what their xbox is doing, kinext sold because children imagine kinect to be something it isnt and women want it to find an easy way of losing weight, use it a couple of times then never use it again.

the reality of it is, people like the idea of kinect, but that's it, only the idea.

now all this privacy **** wont mean a thing to your average 'soccer mom' and her dumb kids will be too busy calling people ******s on call of duty to care that MS are doing whatever behind the scenes, this unfortunately is the reality of it.

I like the idea of kinect, there's potential for good with it, but it's just being used for gathering marketing statistics and for more stupid dance games.

youre so sweet,looking out for the soccer moms and their dumb children.

I think you deserve the tin foil hat award on this forum. "its a plant to trick people into thinking its for gaming,but secretly collecting marketing data". actually, maybe if this was a google product I would believe you.

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youre so sweet,looking out for the soccer moms and their dumb children.

I think you deserve the tin foil hat award on this forum. "its a plant to trick people into thinking its for gaming,but secretly collecting marketing data". actually, maybe if this was a google product I would believe you.

no no no no, why isn't it an opt in thing then? MS know what they're doing, Most people I know don't have a ****ing clue how anything they use works, they only know how to use it to do things they want it to do, anything else is like the 4th dimension to them.

I'm saying MS know that this is the case, if they wanted to all these settings could be opt in instead of opt out, why do you think that is? You tell me a legitimate reason and I'll listen.

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so mister cammy, do you say the same things about google? apple? amazon? Nintendo, sony, etc?

so why are you here, to educate the masses who're mashing their fingers on plastic and glass to take their minds off their impending death?

I thought in another thread you said your PS3 is full with games and dlc....you don't think sony track what you do with your console? or is it that you never connected it online?

you don't think neowin keeps track of your postings? mister "my PC blew up and I lost the will to live". don't come here acting all high and mighty, it's not cool to be a hypocrite. whats good for the goose is good for the gander.

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I was really surprised that the current Kinect doesnt have a camera light on it when it's transmitting a video feed (like chat, etc).

It doesn't but unless you are blind, you can easily tell it is ON and "watching".

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so mister cammy, do you say the same things about google? apple? amazon? Nintendo, sony, etc?

so why are you here, to educate the masses who're mashing their fingers on plastic and glass to take their minds off their impending death?

I thought in another thread you said your PS3 is full with games and dlc....you don't think sony track what you do with your console? or is it that you never connected it online?

you don't think neowin keeps track of your postings? mister "my PC blew up and I lost the will to live". don't come here acting all high and mighty, it's not cool to be a hypocrite. whats good for the goose is good for the gander.

I'm fully aware that all companies do this, they all do it, but to a certain extent, some of which we know of and others we don't. I myself keep extremely private online, try to keep my privacy as well kept as possible because I don't really trust any companies.

Hypocrite? My PC did blow up and I am losing the will to live, I live with people who mis interperate points, who argue for the sake of arguing, think they're being personally attacked and feel the have to defend a company or games console?

All companies do this, that recent **** about apple and android apps having microtransactions is the exact same, the consumers are all fine with it until they're kid spends thousands of pounds on their card on ****ty apps then people kick up a fuss about it.

I'm trying to say, all companies are guilty of this, to what degree? I don't know, but this MS and Kinect situation is a whole new level of privacy invasion that you're automatically opted into.

High and mighty? I'm just a mere mortal, sharing the earth with you people, I don't like it but I try to help people understand the reasons behind things, I'm not saying "MS are spying on you in your sleep and selling your data to whomever" but there's clearly a reason for the way they conduct their business. use your heads, you know? 'logic'.

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no no no no, why isn't it an opt in thing then? MS know what they're doing, Most people I know don't have a ****ing clue how anything they use works, they only know how to use it to do things they want it to do, anything else is like the 4th dimension to them.

I'm saying MS know that this is the case, if they wanted to all these settings could be opt in instead of opt out, why do you think that is? You tell me a legitimate reason and I'll listen.

how do you know it wont be part of the initial setup? look im all for free choice and everything but are we really going to sit here and defend the ignorant who wont go into the settings to turn if off? if people are really worried about MS spying on them through kinect they should have no worries finding the setting to turn it off.

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how do you know it wont be part of the initial setup? look im all for free choice and everything but are we really going to sit here and defend the ignorant who wont go into the settings to turn if off? if people are really worried about MS spying on them through kinect they should have no worries finding the setting to turn it off.

This is what I'm trying to say, the argument is moot, People who will succumb to having their privacy breached aren't us, there's no point in us arguing about it, we're not the idiots, we will turn these settings off.

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no no no no, why isn't it an opt in thing then? MS know what they're doing, Most people I know don't have a ****ing clue how anything they use works, they only know how to use it to do things they want it to do, anything else is like the 4th dimension to them.

I'm saying MS know that this is the case, if they wanted to all these settings could be opt in instead of opt out, why do you think that is? You tell me a legitimate reason and I'll listen.

MS know that a majority of people won't see it as a big deal. People are really blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

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MS know that a majority of people won't see it as a big deal. People are really blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

YesI agree they are, nobody gives a ****. Just wait until it affects mr and mrs average consumer, then it's on BBC news then there will be a big fuss, until then, us smart people will enjoy our xbox's and ps4's with any privacy invasive things turned off, if we're given the ability to do so that is.... :p

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no no no no, why isn't it an opt in thing then? MS know what they're doing, Most people I know don't have a ****ing clue how anything they use works, they only know how to use it to do things they want it to do, anything else is like the 4th dimension to them.

I'm saying MS know that this is the case, if they wanted to all these settings could be opt in instead of opt out, why do you think that is? You tell me a legitimate reason and I'll listen.

its enabled by default so you can see that its there and try it out,and if you like it,you will spend more money buying content. whats wrong with that? why do companies exist? to make money. everything doesn't have to be a conspiracy. nobody is out to get you.

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its enabled by default so you can see that its there and try it out,and if you like it,you will spend more money buying content. whats wrong with that? why do companies exist? to make money. everything doesn't have to be a conspiracy. nobody is out to get you.

Cool well I'll look forward to my xbox asking and explaining to me that I can do this when I set it up.

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