I find it interesting that no USA-based news source is covering this.
Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
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Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#12Well that puts their whole "We don't exploit your data like Google do" into perspective.
Does it? This isn't Microsoft exploiting data for their own benefit, not comparable. (Not that I like MS sharing the data)
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#13Then I start thinking about when Microsoft were being dragged through the competition and monopolies commission in the US, was this the US Government showing Microsoft what would happen if they didn't cooperate.
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#14The sad thing about all of this is that Microsoft were pretty much forced into this position (so we're told) by the authorities. In the process these leaks have just destroyed pretty much any credibility Microsoft's online services had, which form large parts of their strategy (according to the recent Ballmer memo). It also makes you wonder about the OS and other software they produce, which isn't a good place for MS…
I'm not sure why you're picking on Microsoft. The credibility of pretty much every large US-based tech services company is probably destroyed. The fact that we only saw the big service providers (MS, Google, etc...) on those slides doesn't mean that the other companies are free from the hands of the NSA. Do you think that the NSA has no access to Dropbox?
I'm not sure why you're picking on Microsoft.
One of the key facets of the the Xbox One is the Kinect as an always on device. As another poster pointed out, Microsoft has been quick to answer the privacy related questions that have been asked about this situation with the claim that the system has been built with privacy as a focus. As such, the reliability of those claims in light of this new leak appears to be relevant.
For example, given a court order, would Microsoft be required to:
1.) Provide law enforcement with Kinect data. (everything from as simple as "there were two people in the room" to "here is a live stream of the room"
2.) Be bound by gag orders not allowing Microsoft to reveal the existence of item 1.
3.) Be forced/coerced/enticed to provide bulk "wiretapping" of Kinect data.
Additionally, there is the question of "expectation of privacy". Many of the current privacy laws are based on this concept. However, could the courts decide that there is no expectation of privacy when a video and audio recording device has been placed in a private area, with full knowledge of the owner, also with knowledge that the data will be sent to a third party?
While these items might seem fringe (and before these leaks, I may have agreed), the scope of the current leaks seems to imply that these questions should at least be considered (even if a person chooses ultimately to accept the risk).
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#15Puts this in an entirely different light, doesn't it: Even when ostensibly not functioning, the Xbox One can run in a low-powered state, ready to be snapped on at a moment's notice. That's something Microsoft was showing off last week as an asset. The only on-switch Microsoft showed for waking the machine from its low-power state was a voice command... "Xbox On." The Xbox One could only hear that if the Kinect was al…
Since the Xbox camera is connected to the console via a cable, you can verify whether data going over the wire. If the Xbox is off, you shouldn't see traffic. It's a /bunch/ different from traffic in a data center, which is essentially untraceable and can be cloned at many points. Frankly I'd be more concerned about the microphones contained in ubiquitous and nearly unexaminable devices such as cell phones, and to a…
I would expect, if this was even possible, that it wouldn't be turned on by default but only when requested. Otherwise, it would be too east to catch for the reasons you mention.
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#16Puts this in an entirely different light, doesn't it: Even when ostensibly not functioning, the Xbox One can run in a low-powered state, ready to be snapped on at a moment's notice. That's something Microsoft was showing off last week as an asset. The only on-switch Microsoft showed for waking the machine from its low-power state was a voice command... "Xbox On." The Xbox One could only hear that if the Kinect was al…
Since the Xbox camera is connected to the console via a cable, you can verify whether data going over the wire. If the Xbox is off, you shouldn't see traffic. It's a /bunch/ different from traffic in a data center, which is essentially untraceable and can be cloned at many points. Frankly I'd be more concerned about the microphones contained in ubiquitous and nearly unexaminable devices such as cell phones, and to a…
In addition to what was stated by RexRollman it can easily store video/audio to be sent only at the next start of the xbox. "Downloading update" or "Syncing savegames" and no-one is going to notice the encrypted few megabytes of MP3 compressed audio.
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#17This whole thing makes me very suspicious of Apple's and Microsoft's whole disk encryption technologies. I can't help but wonder if back doors have been inserted into the products.
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#18Then I start thinking about when Microsoft were being dragged through the competition and monopolies commission in the US, was this the US Government showing Microsoft what would happen if they didn't cooperate.
A half-serious conspiracy theory: The feds "encouraged" Microsoft to acquire Skype so as to obtain decrypted access to the communications.
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#19I find it interesting that no USA-based news source is covering this.
Among US-based news sources covering this: The New York Times, NBC News, New York Daily News, CBS News, NPR, Chicago Tribune, ABC.
Re: Microsoft helped the NSA bypass encryption, new Snowden leak reveals
#20Well that puts their whole "We don't exploit your data like Google do" into perspective.
"Our data abuses are better than Google's!" Innovation at work.