Submitted by RicardJulianti 531d ago | opinion piece

Microsoft vs Your Rights – Can they be Trusted?

Have you heard? Microsoft removed the DRM restrictions for the Xbox One! Gaming is saved and it’s okay to love Microsoft! They won’t try to violate our rights ever again! The internet won, right? Well, not exactly… (Industry, Microsoft, Tag Invalid, Xbox One)

n4rc  +   531d ago
They weren't violating your rights to begin with. You didn't have to buy it, you had alternatives

Placing trust in any company is a risky move.. They all value money over you. But how far are they willing to go?

In the end .. This article is fear mongering at its finest..

Microsoft has stated they don't participate in mass information gathering for governments.. Just case by case as required by law..

Then the poster goes on to say they are lying because they allow to bypass encryption..

But naturally they assume that means mass collection when the obvious is to gain access to said case by case suspects..

Like anything..these People assume the worst and rarely let fact or common sense get in the way.

One random persons paranoid opinion isn't a fact
#1 (Edited 531d ago ) | Agree(5) | Disagree(44) | Report | Reply
kingdip90  +   531d ago
The assertion that the article writer is paranoid isn't fact either and the assertion that peoples concerns are paranoid doesn't add credence to that point of view. Some level of skepticism is a good thing and I didn't read anything to suggest that microsoft want to hurt you, just infringe on you a little for profit or because they were ordered to which isn't out of the realm of possibility for a big corporation
NewMonday  +   531d ago
MS gave the government the security keys, they can access private information anytime.
n4rc  +   531d ago
I don't argue they likely passively collect data to use for revenue.. But its anonymous data..

This stuff people are thinking is the NSA is watching you! They are tracking your heartbeat omfg!! Lol

That just isn't likely and there is nothing to support that.. Not to mention they just don't give a crap about you unless they feel you are a threat to national security..

They have access to tons of data.. But its only utilized during investigation of specific people..

That's the law.. Its the obvious scenario.. And its what these reports say..

Assuming there is more to it is paranoia by definition.
barkley10   531d ago | Spam
kingdip90  +   531d ago
@n4rc all the data mining microsoft can do with all of their screens as they call them (three screens one cloud) makes for insane advertising potential revenue wise for them... it seriously doesn't bother you? Watching commercials between your tv shows and being bombarded with more commercials just because you used x1 as a tv guide? They would be making money on a service they didn't even provide in thay scenario and at the cost of the consumers potentially limited monthly internet usage? You being screwed over for money like that seriously doesn't bother you?
GT67  +   531d ago
@ newmonday
if that was possible then Microsoft must be apart of the GLOBAL ELITE and NSA give out any data info.
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aiBreeze  +   531d ago

Nothing to support that the NSA could be watching you? Have you lived under a rock for the last month? There is everything to support that they potentially could and would if they deemed it necessary. Will they? No, they have no reason to spy on me personally but the facts that have came out in the last few days has told me that seeing as I'm not American, if I bought an Xbox One, without so much as a court order, they can legally spy on me as they deem necessary and Microsoft will have to comply.

Do I trust Microsoft? Not really but I don't trust google either and have a Galaxy S4. After this whole privacy fiasco, I think it's about time Microsoft actually prove they care about their customers instead of some PR jerk off gesture that they want to be more transparent and just give people an option to completely disconnect their kinect device from their Xbox One.
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dedicatedtogamers  +   531d ago
What's sad is that it took the Xbox One debacle to wake people up. Microsoft has been untrustworthy for quite a while. I would know: I've been gaming on their operating systems since MS-DOS. I also played on Xbox since buying my first Xbox back in 2002 until my 360 (yes, I once owned a 360) RRoD's in 2008.

Whether it was forcing certain graphics-card companies out of the market by mandating DirectX compatibility for most games, or trying to control PC gaming with GFWL, or being the first videogame company in history to charge for basic internet multiplayer across all games, or hiding other services (Hulu, Youtube, Netflix) behind their paywall, or forbidding third-party peripherals while charging an arm and a leg for their proprietary wi-fi antennas, hard drives, cable chargers, etc, or closing veteran studios like Flight, FASA, and Ensemble in favor of Kinect-focused studios, or all the recent stuff regarding spying on Skype users and partnering with the NSA...

I mean, people are just NOW wondering if Microsoft can be trusted? Ahahahah! Okay, I guess not everyone can "wake up" at the same time.
#1.2 (Edited 531d ago ) | Agree(21) | Disagree(5) | Report | Reply
thehitman  +   531d ago
Actually xb1 had nothing to do w/ waking people up. It was Edward Snowden the person who committed treason and spreading all kinds of top secret document leaks potentially incriminating a lot of organizations and the government themselves.
adorie  +   531d ago
I just want to put this here as a reminder for the Critical Thinkers and those who are still Asleep.


#1.2.2 (Edited 531d ago ) | Agree(9) | Disagree(0) | Report
WeaseL  +   531d ago
What Microsoft did was give the government a skeleton key to open anybody's door. So do you trust the government not to peek in your house even if you have nothing to hide.
ironwolf  +   531d ago
Yes they did give the government the key, as the law required them to, and as did Google, Yahoo, all the telephone companies (cell and landline) and every other company that sells network connected goods and services in the US.
jjb1981  +   531d ago
You must be a Certified Microsoft Junior explorer....
jXales  +   531d ago
the thing people arent realizing is that the governments have productively removed those rights. Microsoft and the other companies didnt do anything illegal or violate your rights by doing what they did.

How else could an 18 year old boy get jailed for several months and is still in risk of a life sentence for saying a tasteless joke online about shooting up a school. Bad joke but months imprisonment impeding a court for a life sentence... That it even is possible to jail someone without a stronger basis is just wrong.

And if that is enough to get someone locked up and they have access to all your emails and chat sessions and logs. Its not too hard to imagine that the need be authorities if you EVER become a threat will be able to digg something up to lock you up...
kingdip90  +   531d ago
While I don't see x1 being tin foil hat levels of malicious the vision statement they released when their company reshuffle was explained clearly said that microsoft want to control all of you entertainment with pc, windows phone and xbox one. This means kinect will recognize your face, your bing searches will know your interests and you phones gps will know exactly where you are and when.

The vision statement also made clear that these three screens would share the same cloud so all that information would be stored in the same place. 300, 000 servers can sure hold plenty of data and I don't believe they said those perchased servers were exlusively for gaming people just assumed that.

So I'm my mind no in microsofts vision of a microsoft controlled entertainment environment you won't have any privacy but thays just data mining for advertisers and any government agencies that become interested in you
JBSleek  +   531d ago
What big corporation can you trust?
Dogteeth  +   531d ago

I'm kidding.

Remember when Sony got everyone's info stolen?
GentlemenRUs  +   531d ago

After they tried scamming me out of money which I did not owe them...
Dogteeth  +   531d ago
That's TOTALLY believable coming from such an unbiased, opened minded gamer like yourself.
Imalwaysright  +   531d ago
You joined yesterday.
Hicken  +   531d ago
"That's TOTALLY believable coming from such an unbiased, opened minded gamer like yourself."

Says a guy who's been decidedly backing Microsoft since he joined the site some 36 hours ago.
_FantasmA_  +   531d ago
If you have to ask, the answer is no.
n4rc  +   531d ago
People also miss then obvious one..

Nowhere in any of these reports is Xbox mentioned. Microsoft has outlook/hotmail and cloud storage.. And also Skype..

These are tools that are actually useful to law enforcement.. Just as they can monitor your phone, they can now use these other tools..

Microsoft has access to a lot of your info.. So when the feds come calling, they have lots to give..

So boycott Microsoft.. Go to Google, or apple, or even Sony.. They will all turn over whatever they have on you..

Point is.. If you are a target of federal agents.. Stay away from the internet and anything with a battery Lol.. Its not specific to ms.. That's the us government for ya
Godmars290  +   531d ago
The actual point is that normally, under sensible conditions, there are suppose to be checks and balances in place where if one government agency wants certain information on you, they must go to another providing an argument why they need to do so with the process of such available for public examination.

But at this point, not only can the government basically go fishing for anything they like, they don't even have to report much less give reason why they were looking in the first place. And as a side effect of such policies, MS has been given permission as well. Most if not all information related companies have.

The best - only - way to possibly fix this is to reinstall the original checks and balances. Remove MS's protection from gathering information.
cyguration  +   531d ago
Skype is part of the Xbox One's core features.

Bathyj  +   531d ago
you can't trust Microsoft, but you can trust Microsoft to be Microsoft
STK026  +   531d ago
Microsoft is no worse or better than any of its major competitors. Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, they're all the same. These big corporations will hand over the info they have on you to the government if asked, and quite frankly, I'm pretty sure they don't have much of a choice to begin with.

The US government can pretty much pressure any major corporation into giving away info on their consumers; don't blame Microsoft, blame the government.

If you seriously think that MS are the only ones doing it, or worse, if you think that Google and Apple are any different, you'll be quite disappointed.
sAVAge_bEaST  +   531d ago
M$ sure seems to come up the most,.. (what about the Gov. contracts they have?)
+ this -2 days ago. http://www.guardian.co.uk/w...
RicardJulianti  +   531d ago
That's what sparked the article actually...and is sourced within. It's not just that MS is handing over the information, it's that they have provided the NSA with backdoors into their entire system.

Some people here in the comments like to bring up Skype and Outlook/Hotmail and that it doesn't apply to Xbox One. Only problem is, XBL accounts are tied to Outlook/Hotmail accounts and Skype is a major feature that MS is including in the Xbox One.
ironwolf  +   531d ago
All electronic communication hardware and software sold in America since the mid '90s has had backdoors built in for "law enforcement" purposes.
sAVAge_bEaST  +   531d ago

lesser of two evils?

BIG -Diff. between getting a search warrant, to access those back doors, legally..
\M$ freely offering up all Info, on all people. without a search warrant, and having immunity from court action.
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webeblazing  +   531d ago
actually google and most of the other companies you name was also apart of PRISM. this is the effect of the patriot act people let got which let the gov do whatever the want to counter terrorism even if there is none. its funny cause a lot of what ron paul was saying is actually happening and people didnt want to here him. and he ran for presidency a bunch of times and made value points way more than the other.

i dont like MS tactics either but its not really much you can do when people let the gov manipulate them. and you gotta admit the know Americans why you think their advertisement always work. ist funny and sad at the same time

for those of you who dont know what i mean watch the movie god bless american the move exaggerates but its a lil close to it lol
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staticdash22  +   531d ago
Never again will I buy another Microsoft console. Yesterday I traded in my xbox 360 towards the purchase of a PS4, and all of my xbox games as well.
ElitaStorm  +   531d ago
harvey dent, can we trust him?

#10 (Edited 531d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
Urusernamesucks  +   531d ago
Dat profile pic..
killerips   531d ago | Spam
pabadamus1  +   531d ago
Short answer is no. Long answer is never trust large organizations. The NSA is a government entity with legal access to ALL forms of personal information when deemed necessary. Even though we interact and communicate through private means such as Skype and email, we are doing so on public infrastructure that is regulated by the gov. The thing is that what we know of Prism but we may never know of the other joint programs that exist between the gov and corporations. We cannot fault MSFT for their compliance. We also cannot fault them for lying about their complicity. If Sony was approached they too would comply.

So the longer and easier answer is never trust anyone trying to sell you something. They will always act in their own best interests -- sometimes at the detriment of their customers.
#12 (Edited 531d ago ) | Agree(3) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
sAVAge_bEaST  +   531d ago
Who has more contracts with the Gov., M$, or Sony? (you know the contracts, that are marked up is 300% -charged to the tax payer)
#12.1 (Edited 531d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(2) | Report | Reply
JBSleek  +   531d ago
Thats a stupid way of looking at it. MS is an American company ad Sony isn't.

Also MS makes more useful products for the government as they are a software company.
ironwolf  +   531d ago
Doesn't matter if they have contracts. They sell their product in America. If their system wasn't fully accessible, they would not be allowed to sell it here.
sAVAge_bEaST  +   531d ago
lesser of two evils?

Listen, when digital Cell Phones came out in'98 there were 2 company's Primeco and Sprint,.. Primeco- was a fed start up, because they released the technology, from the army,..
Sprint was the competition,,. /Primeco went on to become Verizon, while acquiring smaller company's..
Who are the 2 major contributers & Lobbyists -to keep Immunity going?? AT&T, Verizon.-neither one I have ever supported, or used service.
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Foxgod  +   531d ago
The worst thing they could do to me, is show me adds.
That already happens on about every electronic device i use, and i have mentally programmed myself to completely ignore adds.
sAVAge_bEaST  +   531d ago
What if they show you subtractions?

{Kinect will make sure you watch the targeted ad's,.. your data.packet.profile, will make sure of that}
Foxgod  +   531d ago
It doesnt matter if you show them to me, its easy to recognize an add, and i simply ignore what is showed to me.
I even ignore adds with half naked woman in it, simply because they are adds.
I sort of switch off the region of my brains that processes these adds, and switch it back on when the add is over.
Better said, when i see adds i focus on something else, without looking away.

Same on any other device.
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EXVirtual  +   531d ago
Answer is no. For weeks on end despite all the Youtube rants, the countless blogs and overall opposing of these restrictions, they were trying to convince everyone that this DRM would benefit them. Then, they saw the pre-orders and then reversed. They're chasing the money. Sony never considered this BS. The whole patent thing in January wasn't even related to the PS4 and Sony debunked this shit back at the reveal and then 3 times before E3.






M$ just cannot be trusted. The second they sell enough units, they'll put back in the DRM. I'd say 1-2 years. Then after that M$ is out of the console race. The sooner the better. As for the Kinect? Don't even go there.
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YNWA96  +   531d ago
Another stupid fanboy artiicle.... How about this question.... Sony, can they be trusted to protect your information.... But I do not care.... I do not use my credit card for purchases or anything else, I buy cards... Safest... All big corporations have government influence, whether US, Japan or China... Its called politics...
RicardJulianti  +   531d ago
This isn't about "being a fanboy" as you claim. I have used Windows for as long as I can remember and have owned an Xbox 360 since 2006, paying for XBL the entire time.

It has nothing to do with Sony or Nintendo....and I own their systems as well.

This is about Microsoft and how they have provided backdoors into their services to the NSA that would allow them to collect data on ANYONE....illegally. Providing information on certain accounts when there is a warrant is an entirely different issue as it follows the law. This does not.

It also covers how the fans had absolutely nothing to do with their turn around on DRM, and if we did...then removing Kinect as a mandatory device would have been considered since people's privacy was a MAJOR concern when they originally announced it would always be listening.
ironwolf  +   531d ago
Sorry, the backdoor is required on all communications hardware and software sold in the US, and has been for nearly 20 years.
YNWA96  +   531d ago
But, Ironwolf, its MS.... It sounds good against them. To be honest, for a long time the US government had been watching everyone.... People get worried over this, but really its the ISP's that have your entire online history and activities....
Erudito87  +   531d ago
hell no. It was revealed recently the ms openly gave user data to the nsa for all their products(skype etc)
#16 (Edited 531d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
stage88  +   531d ago
Put it this way, I wouldn't trust Microspft with my toothpick.
ghoh1  +   531d ago
only idiots who would risk their privacy with this spy camera. " i have nothing to hide" argument is pointless, read this http://www.thoughtcrime.org...
Urusernamesucks  +   531d ago
Only time will tell.

They know if they bring back drm they would have to confront the supreme court again. We all know how that ended up.

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