People throughout the world could soon be in-voluntarily outfitting their homes with indefinitely active cameras, infrared sensors and microphones if they purchase the upcoming gaming console from Microsoft. According to leaked screen captures, the new console, codenamed “Durango,” will be “Always On, Always Connected,” meaning it will require a perpetual Internet connection, in addition to a new high-fidelity Kinect Sensor, “which will be required for the system to operate,” .
Being touted as a measure to ensure “software and games are always current,” the new Xbox will not allow users to play games unless a permanent Internet connection is established, according to leaked screenshots obtained by the website“Durango will implement different power states so that it can always be powered on, but will draw minimal electricity when not in use,” the grainy, leaked screenshot states, adding, “The console will be ready instantly when users want to play, and will always maintain a network connection so that software and games are always current. With this ‘Always On, Always Connected’ design, users will quickly and easily enjoy their connected entertainment experiences, with no waiting for the console to restart or install updates.”
In response to a Wall Street Journal article titled, “Is Your Videogame Machine Watching You?” Microsoft issued a statement regarding privacy and Xbox: “Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE do not use any information captured by Kinect for advertising targeting purposes. Microsoft has a strong track record of implementing some of the best privacy protection measures in the industry. We place great importance on the privacy of our customers’ information and the safety of their experiences.”
While Microsoft’s response attempts to quell our concerns about privacy, it does not address the fact that Microsoft can, and most likely will, be spying on its customers, regardless of whether or not they are selling consumer information to advertisers. (Infowars)
You might think that this post is a bit paranoid but i thought of sharing it because we really need to draw a line on how far technology integrates into our life ,well , technology is progressing very fast and it helps us to do our tasks more efficiently , but the downslide it brings is the fact that so many technologies can be violated by evil powers who just want your money and privacy (hackers , certain establishments , advertisers ) . Personally i have no grudge towards the Google Glass project , but as i mentioned in that article these technologies just make us loose our privacy and the physical human interaction . it will have some fun features ,but that too is connected to the internet every time you use it .well, It does not mean that anything connected to the internet is evil , and no , your calculator is not watching you ,and right now , we still have the ability to control our technology ( like turning your device off , or buying something else that will give you a peice of mind ) but lets say we come to a era (we can't stop the impending future) where everyone (almost all) will be using embedded face mounted cameras -in heads up displays , glasses etc , wearable technologies and smarthomes connected to the internet - that's probably the best time you have to avoid civilization if you like the word "Privacy" . Anyway , we will/might be publishing a few articles for the next issue of MashDroid with the Title "1984- technology and its side effects to society" being the main title , so stay tuned for the April /May edition of our E-magazine . cheers
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