The rumors are all over the internet about microsoft's new console planned to succeed the xbox 360:
"Microsoft plans to release a next-generation Kinect device so accurate it can lip read, sources have told Eurogamer.
Kinect 2 will come bundled with future Xbox consoles, we understand.
The intention is that Kinect 2 will offer improved motion sensing and voice recognition.
One development source told Eurogamer that Kinect 2 will be so powerful it will enable games to lip read, detect when players are angry, and determine in which direction they are facing.
Kinect 2 can track the pitch and volume of player voices and facial characteristics to measure different emotional states."
And the cool thing is, you CAN'T play the system without the kinect camera watching you:
"Kinect
As we reported a year ago, the new version of the Kinect motion-control sensor array will be included with every Durango sold. The unit seems far superior to the one currently found for the Xbox 360 (or the PC, for that matter).
Perhaps most importantly, this isn't an optional accessory. It's mandatory. Not only does a Kinect ship with every console, but it must be plugged in and calibrated for the console to even function.
This requirement is due to the way Kinect has been integrated with the Durango; because every console can be guaranteed of having the camera, developers can now program every game with the peripheral in mind.
It's also because the Kinect will always be watching you. The new version of the camera is able to track up to six individual "skeletons" in the same room at all times. This has clear gameplay implications, such as allowing a game to instantly identify a person, but could also be related to a recently-patented Microsoft system for monitoring and maybe even charging users based on who is watching what. SuperDae's Kinect documentation also makes mention of automatic player identification becoming part of a gameplay experience."
So, what is the problem? Well, the US Government has admitted to hacking video game consoles to amass data on gamers:
"Popular video game consoles such as Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 may resemble the new battlefields for national security in the eyes of the U.S. military. The U.S. Navy has begun funding a project to hack previously owned game consoles in an effort to dig up gamers' online chat room information and other stored data."
B, b, but... Microsoft would not knowingly create a device as a spy for the gummint, would they?
"Sections 9 and 12 of the updated terms of service are particularly scary :
If you accept the agreement, you “expressly authorize and consent to us accessing or disclosing information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft, our partners, or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the Service; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers, or the public.”
Also scary? they reserve the right to monitor your voice and chat sessions using their new camera system. Personal privacy? Not so personal, not so private.
“You should not expect any level of privacy concerning your use of the live communication features (for example, voice chat, video and communications in live-hosted gameplay sessions) offered through the Service.” They obviously won’t – and can’t – monitor every single system at the same time, but they say that they have the right to do so “to the maximum extent permitted by law.”
Microsoft also “reserves the right at all times to disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, or to edit, refuse to post or to remove any information or materials, in whole or in part, in Microsoft’s sole discretion.”
Break the law in front of your Kinect system? You could be up against the law."
It should not take a conspiracy theorist to see how this cowardly new world is shaping up. Car tires are monitoring drivers. Mandatory black boxes tracking drivers in all new cars in America. All cell phone and computer usage stored in US govt. databases... 30,000 drones soon to be patrolling our skies...
Now, even the game systems are the face of the Govt. Always monitoring you, always reporting on you.
For some reason, this generation is allowing EVERY SINGLE encroachment on liberty and privacy that the govt. and big business can think of.
There is NO limit to what this generation will tolerate.
TSA can fondle their kids at the airport-- and their wife...
the kinect has nothing to do with the drone shipment
why don't you post a thread about how the improved analytical capabilities of the kinect will spawn so many jobs, as well as improve digital experiences
R A V E N D R I V E wrote: the kinect has nothing to do with the drone shipment
why don't you post a thread about how the improved analytical capabilities of the kinect will spawn so many jobs, as well as improve digital experiences
I don't celebrate big business/ govt. collusion to create a Big Brother info web...
If the thread doesn't interest you, feel free to leave.
its a little interesting, a bit a alarmist, the original kinect already does this stuff, or can, could, had the same threat to personal security 3 years ago
its a little interesting, a bit a alarmist, the original kinect already does this stuff, or can, could, had the same threat to personal security 3 years ago
previous xboxes did not have mandatory kinect, nor did they have a MANDATORY online reporting capability at all times.
the recent admission that the govt. is hacking used consoles is also a factor...
things are much worse for new xbox system owners than they used to be, privacy-wise...
Christopher Hartman wrote: You can always choose to NOT buy one.
I can choose not to buy one, AND I can choose to let people know that strangers will be watching their kids through a camera , for countless hours and years, as they play their video games, download their netflixes, chat with their friends...
and that the govt. is spending taxpayer money to scoop up used consoles, hack them, and amass a trove of info through said consoles...
I hope it learns from watching so many gamers, and compares it's data in the cloud, providing more accurate (and predictive) responses for computer characters in the digital worlds we will be interacting with
Me pointing out that you're short sighted on why a system could benefit from lip reading when it has a microphone makes ME paranoid?
I think it's COOL.
How does that make me paranoid?
Sorry, I was referring to the idea that the console was going to spy on people by reading their lips. Obviously if it's in a position to read lips then it's also in a position to hear what is being said.
So yes I do think that people think the new system is going to be spying on them are paranoid.
Sorry, I was referring to the idea that the console was going to spy on people by reading their lips. Obviously if it's in a position to read lips then it's also in a position to hear what is being said.
So yes I do think that people think the new system is going to be spying on them are paranoid.
If it's true I'm sure they've gathered ample data about weed and mountain dew consumption among gamers.
Sorry, I was referring to the idea that the console was going to spy on people by reading their lips. Obviously if it's in a position to read lips then it's also in a position to hear what is being said.
So yes I do think that people think the new system is going to be spying on them are paranoid.
"When people download a film from Netflix to a flatscreen, or turn on web radio, they could be alerting unwanted watchers to exactly what they are doing and where they are.
Spies will no longer have to plant bugs in your home - the rise of 'connected' gadgets controlled by apps will mean that people 'bug' their own homes, says CIA director David Petraeus.
The CIA claims it will be able to 'read' these devices via the internet - and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home.
"
"Petraeus says that web-connected gadgets will 'transform' the art of spying - allowing spies to monitor people automatically without planting bugs, breaking and entering or even donning a tuxedo to infiltrate a dinner party.
DEP E510 wrote: "When people download a film from Netflix to a flatscreen, or turn on web radio, they could be alerting unwanted watchers to exactly what they are doing and where they are.
Spies will no longer have to plant bugs in your home - the rise of 'connected' gadgets controlled by apps will mean that people 'bug' their own homes, says CIA director David Petraeus.
The CIA claims it will be able to 'read' these devices via the internet - and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home.
"
"Petraeus says that web-connected gadgets will 'transform' the art of spying - allowing spies to monitor people automatically without planting bugs, breaking and entering or even donning a tuxedo to infiltrate a dinner party.
Show me one piece of credible evidence that the US government is bugging everyday appliances.
"Everything from remote controls to clock radios can now be controlled via apps - and chip company ARM recently unveiled low-powered, cheaper chips which will be used in everything from fridges and ovens to doorbells.
The resultant chorus of 'connected' gadgets will be able to be read like a book - and even remote-controlled, according to CIA CIA Director David Petraeus, according to a recent report by Wired's 'Danger Room' blog.
"Everything from remote controls to clock radios can now be controlled via apps - and chip company ARM recently unveiled low-powered, cheaper chips which will be used in everything from fridges and ovens to doorbells.
The resultant chorus of 'connected' gadgets will be able to be read like a book - and even remote-controlled, according to CIA CIA Director David Petraeus, according to a recent report by Wired's 'Danger Room' blog.
The funny thing is that if you search for any of those quotes supposedly from Patraeus all you get is paranoid blog posts. You can't find them on any legit news sites. And no the Daily Mail is not a legit news source.
The funny thing is that if you search for any of those quotes supposedly from Patraeus all you get is paranoid blog posts. You can't find them on any legit news sites. And no the Daily Mail is not a legit news source.
I don't know any clock radio or dishwasher that has a video camera built in.
"
But perhaps just as alarming as Petraeus’ statements is the recent announcement regarding the new models of Samsung televisions currently being rolled out on the market. Indeed, if these new products are not a full blast initiation into the world of George Orwell’s 1984, then they are, at the very least, half way there.
This is because Samsung’s new line of LED HDTV’s will now include built-in, internally wired HD cameras, face tracking and speech recognition capabilities, and twin microphones. In the 2012 8000-series plasmas, the cameras and microphones are built directly into the screen bezel. The 7500 – 8000ES-series TV’s, however, will have the cameras permanently attached to the top of the set.
Obviously, the new TV’s, with their ability to access the Internet, will be connected to Samsung’s own software, but the sets will also be compatible with “third party apps” in much the same manner as the appliances mentioned above by Petraeus.
These TV’s, via the built-in camera and face recognition software, locate and record the faces of viewers while storing this information within the software for future use. The idea is that the software, after logging the different faces into the program, can then “personalize the experience” for the individual viewers.
The TV’s also come equipped with the ability to listen and respond to voice commands. Naturally, the built-in microphones must be active in order to use this feature.
It should also be noted that these features, unlike the add-on accessories that have come with television sets up to this point, cannot be removed simply by unplugging a device by its cord or USB cable. Again, the devices are built-in as part of the system itself."
"
But perhaps just as alarming as Petraeus’ statements is the recent announcement regarding the new models of Samsung televisions currently being rolled out on the market. Indeed, if these new products are not a full blast initiation into the world of George Orwell’s 1984, then they are, at the very least, half way there.
This is because Samsung’s new line of LED HDTV’s will now include built-in, internally wired HD cameras, face tracking and speech recognition capabilities, and twin microphones. In the 2012 8000-series plasmas, the cameras and microphones are built directly into the screen bezel. The 7500 – 8000ES-series TV’s, however, will have the cameras permanently attached to the top of the set.
Obviously, the new TV’s, with their ability to access the Internet, will be connected to Samsung’s own software, but the sets will also be compatible with “third party apps” in much the same manner as the appliances mentioned above by Petraeus.
These TV’s, via the built-in camera and face recognition software, locate and record the faces of viewers while storing this information within the software for future use. The idea is that the software, after logging the different faces into the program, can then “personalize the experience” for the individual viewers.
The TV’s also come equipped with the ability to listen and respond to voice commands. Naturally, the built-in microphones must be active in order to use this feature.
It should also be noted that these features, unlike the add-on accessories that have come with television sets up to this point, cannot be removed simply by unplugging a device by its cord or USB cable. Again, the devices are built-in as part of the system itself."
You do realize that you don't have to connect your TV to the internet, right? In fact, you have to manually configure it if you do want it connected.
Or maybe you can simply slap a piece of black tape over the camera if you're that paranoid that your TV is watching you.
I think I might have to invest in companies that make storage solutions because all of this spy data is going to take a shitload of storage space to store! But the good news is that unemployment should plummet as the CIA hires millions of workers to comb through the endless hours of audio, video, and game chat logs generated by their global appliance spy network.
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