Privacy in the Living Room

In a previous article "A Look Ahead" we took a look at one type of new technology that is coming our way and raised some questions as to how it might impact our privacy.

This week we take a look at another incoming technology that has many people, and even a few countries a bit worried. On May 21, Microsoft finally revealed its next generation gaming console, the Xbox One.
Among the many features showcased was the Kinect.
For those unfamiliar, the Kinect is a motion sensing device that is used by the Xbox for controller free interaction with the device.
It does this by recognizing gestures and voice commands.

Now, the original Kinect first introduced with the Xbox 360 was fairly easy for users to trick if they didn't want it on or watching. One could simply cover the camera, face it away towards a wall, or even unplug the device and continue using their Xbox.

With the next generation console, it's not looking like that will be possible.

The next generation Kinect will be required to be plugged into the Xbox One at all times.
So from what we've seen during the reveal, the device will always be on.
Even if you are able to turn the camera to face a wall, the microphone will be on and listening to allow users to turn on the console with voice commands.

Besides the microphone, the camera itself has gotten a big upgrade. The new Kinect will be able to see in the dark and track your facial expressions in reaction to events on or off screen.

As the new console will be a portal to consume all sorts of media from video games to tv shows, having a camera pointed at your face and watching your reactions at all times is a big concern for privacy.
It will be able to determine effectiveness of commercials and maybe even detect certain brand objects in your living room. Having technology with these capabilities is great for being able to deliver more relevant content to each individual user, but at the same time it makes you wonder, is it listening or watching me now? Where is this information being stored and who has access to it? I sure don't want 3rd parties getting access to a camera and microphone in the center of my house.
In response to the unveiling two countries have come out and expressed concern about the console.

Germany and Australia both view the current console as a monitoring device and some officials have even suggested banning the device.

Microsoft has promised to reveal many more details about the console and planned privacy features that will allow users to control how data is used, stored, and shared.

A Microsoft representative has also mentioned that the system will be able to be completely shut off and not just be put into a low power mode that leaves things like the microphone active.

So until E3 all we can do is continue to discuss the features as we have seen them and voice our concerns.

Hopefully Microsoft will listen and make the necessary adjustments.