Microsoft's Xbox One updated its privacy statement to fully explain how Xbox One Kinect collects data from its users. The software giant clarified that the game console is incapable of transmitting facial images since these are automatically destroyed once a player ends his gaming session.
The Xbox One Kinect sensor has a user identification feature that is triggered by measuring the length and arrangement of the player’s certain facial features and calculating that measurement into a number. The tech giant reveals that even if this number has been passed into the hands of government officials, there’s no way that it can be used to retroactively build a representation of the user’s face.
Having said that, Microsoft assures players that security agencies and state officials don’t have any access to their images. While it is true that the game software can read the player’s facial expressions and give appropriate responses, the data is not stored by Microsoft.
Microsoft has had several scrutinies on its privacy policies and has been doubted on how it handles personal data. In July, it was discovered that the corporation had distributed email and Skype details to the NSA. It has declined to openly discuss the matter based on legal bounds.
Late in September, an ex-privacy adviser from Microsoft admits of losing his trust in the company after learning about the mass-surveillance program of the NSA. Several days later, it was discovered that The company turned over the personal data of more than a thousand of its customers to the government agents of Australia during the first half of 2013.
As a response to these allegations, Microsoft felt compelled to release in the web its privacy policy disclosure with a detailed account of the rules and limitations involved. One of the important things that they have stressed is the console’s "Kinect Off"feature that turns off the Kinect sensor once the player turns off his Kinect. If this is not enough, unplugging it from the console can just do the trick. Moreover, players can delete all the Kinect data by going to the Settings tab and selecting ‘Reset my Kinect data.’ They can even opt to have their profile removed from the console.
