Could the NSA be behind the Xbone mandatory camera rule?

[mmntech]

Seems silly to use a device for surveillance that can be defeated with a piece of electrical tape. Easier to just monitor your web visits, phone calls, and key strokes.

In seriousness, active servicemen are actually worried about the Kinect. There's a concern among them that commanders may feel the always listening ear of the Xbone might open the door for it to be bugged by enemy spies. Some expect it to be banned from bases and ships.

 

[mikeymikec]

Seems silly to use a device for surveillance that can be defeated with a piece of electrical tape.

So obviously you have two cams on it. The one obvious one, which is used for the Kinect stuff and user-requested webcam'y stuff, and the other which is built into the power button

 

[flexy]

All of Apple's iPhones and IPads have front and rear facing cameras now... Do all of the tinfoil hat wearers here think that the NSA is using those to spy on us as well?

I am not into conspiracy theories, in fact consider most of them incredibly stupid.

However, I don't need to be a tinfoil hat wearer to ask you for proof they do NOT what we are theorizing about here. In fact, even as a "non tinfoil hat wearer" I cannot exclude the likelihood of that idea.

I can NOT exclude the possibility that the NSA, technically, has means to make use of iPhone or XBone mics and cams. And I also cannot exclude the possibility that the NSA would actually do that, if it could and if the need would arise.

Maybe you slept underneath a rock the last months or years, but those scenarios ARE possible. (We had cases in the past where webcams were remotely activated on people's PC without user consent via injected spyware/trojans, it's a REALITY. In the same way as ties from Apple, MS, Google, fb etc. to the NSA are a reality).

 

[AMDZen]

So obviously you have two cams on it. The one obvious one, which is used for the Kinect stuff and user-requested webcam'y stuff, and the other which is built into the power button

Your theory would be nice if the Xbone had a power button, it doesn't. It lacks a physical power button of any kind. You have to talk to it for it to come on

 

[flexy]

The paranoia is thick in this thread :/

The NSA is not live-streaming millions of Kinect streams simultaneously 24/7. Just because they *CAN* tap your phone doesn't mean they *ARE* tapping your phone all day every day. From a technological perspective Kinect livestreams to some NSA database would rival Netflix traffic. Our infrastructure just can't handle that, sorry.

The NSA surely has systems in place which are "smart" and can flag and pull those data which it deems interesting, out of zillions of GB of "not so interesting" data. Do you doubt that the NSA has the $ or infrastructure to do exactly that?

It's not about a system which would monitor, in real time, millions of live-streams at the same time, all it needs is an intelligent system which triggers based on whatever criteria, say, at some point flags a certain IP or account.

And now tell me, let's assume an IP or account (email, social, gaming, fb, etc.) had been flagged for "targeting" at some point, that it would be "unlikely" that the NSA then would NOT use all means they have to gather intelligence. And you seriously think they would conveniently ignore or not take advantage of the fact that there is a camera and mic attached..which COULD be used...or do you believe it would be "technically too outlandish" that the NSA would use them?

All it takes would be an interjected program or backdoor remote access, and the NSA or whoever would know about your household, who and how many live in it etc. ---> that's what the NSA does and it would surely be one type of valuable intelligence which I cannot see the NSA would simply let go by. (Think of potential terrorists, bomb-builders etc. and the need for someone to know who actually lives in a home, their schedules etc).

 

[mikeymikec]

nvm

 

[Hugo Drax]

what might happen similar to what Nintendo did with the wii when they provided for free the rubber covering for the wii units.

Microsoft will probably offer a field kit that you can get for free that will have a plug for the lens and an acoustic foam cover for the microphone once they see sales plummet due to privacy concerns and FUD.

 

[Dari]

This is what Edward Snowden, the whistleblower wrote about the XBox 360 in 2006 (on my birthday, no less):

link

NSA's new surveillance program.

That's the sound of freedom, citizen!

It may have been a joke then but, if they felt that way about the 360 then the NSA must have a huge boner about the Xbox One now...

I got that info from this article.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I'm in no way a conspiracy person, but I'm also intelligent to know that what is possible CAN happen. Turning a blind eye to it as if it would never happen is just well...not intelligent. But that's ok, get your games. Really. Nothing to see here, we know all you care about is your games. Pay no attention to the code behind the picture.

 

[colonelciller]

All of Apple's iPhones and IPads have front and rear facing cameras now... Do all of the tinfoil hat wearers here think that the NSA is using those to spy on us as well?

The head of CIA says they do...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPd2uMiXXg

why do morons throw around the 'tinfoil retort' so often?

 

[colonelciller]

Seems silly to use a device for surveillance that can be defeated with a piece of electrical tape. Easier to just monitor your web visits, phone calls, and key strokes.

what a silly comment
how many of the hundreds of millions of smartphones in this world have tape over their cameras?

easier to collect everything and sift through it later

 

[HeXen]

Considering the leaks and other stupid stuff our govt did in the past, the idea isn't crazy at all.