Should NSA-Microsoft Spying Alliance Worry Gamers?

OnlySP: NSA leaker, self described whistle-blower, and fugitive from justice Edward Snowden has revealed a new batch of the United States Government’s classified secrets today, this time alleging that Microsoft was in close collaboration with United States intelligence agencies in service of the formerly top-secret Prism program, The Guardian reports.

[snake_eater]

This is nonsense, Microsoft would never do that to their customers. They care about the people.

love you Ballmer

[darthv72]

Think you forgot something at the end of your comment.

it looks like this: /s

[zerocrossing]

Not sure if you're trolling but, no what you just said is absolute nonsense.

On more than one account Microsoft have been caught spying on people, and must I remind you we only just heard about a month ago that they were caught listening on on peoples conversations over Skype?

Tell me, just why are Microsoft be in with the NSA if not in order to collect consumers personal data to pass on for profit.

[noctis_lumia]

careful MS owners...u never know when fisher might pop up into your house.....

[n4rc]

Yes.. With a warrant.. They spy on suspects, not random people..

Stop with the fear mongering..

[My_Outer_Heaven]

I hope that is sarcasm snake_eater lol

[noctis_lumia]

microsft cares about ppl ? o_O.....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!

[1nsomniac]

This has to be a sarcastic troll otherwise you're a fucking idiot!

Bill Gates is a top player of the formally secret Bilderberg group also. That decide how they are going to shape the sheep to create corporate monopolies.

All the Sheep including these corporations should be herded off & shot!!

[karl]

he was just kidding obviously...

+1

[Killzoner99]

What ? Are you kidding me ? You're what's wrong with the industry. Microsoft does not care about you. They just want your info and $. If you're looking for a company that cares about its fans and the industry, Sony is about the only one left.

[snake_eater]

Welcome to last week...

WTF do you really think i was being serious? LMAO typical internet nerd

[Donnieboi]

you said:

"They care about the people. "

I say: LOL. Have a cookie, your blood sugar must be low; Your starting to imagine things.

[Eamon]

Not just gamers but anyone who owns a Microsoft product or uses their services.

[iamnsuperman]

Answer is no. The NSA will not be able to keep up with everyones skype chat and naked gaming sessions (we all do it :P). They collect information for when you get flag. They would also have to delete a lot of that information over time as there is no way in storing that amount of information.

Just don't do anything that can be conceived as treason and your fine

[Ray186]

At least not until they finish building that giant data center in Utah.

http://www.wired.com/threat...

[snake_eater]

People thought i was being serious? LMAO

[darthv72]

well...you didnt have a "/s" at the end of your comment. So what are people supposed to think?

[goldwyncq]

Yeah, because no one's obviously smart enough to figure it out on their own /s.

[Azrabain]

I new you were joking but thereare idiots who wont and they are the same ones who will still buy Microsoft products!!!

[Murad]

I'm sorry. Can you make an operating system; no? Well, that's the only reason we buy Microsoft products. We didn't have a choice, but with gain in technology everyday, Microsoft is going down and sinking very quickly to say the least. Linux has already beat it, and with Valve on their side, Windows is done for.

[StockpileTom]

It is hard to discern tone in text. You must have some other indicator for it. I tell my parents this all the time.

Seriously I have seen people break up over stupid misunderstandings like this lol

[snake_eater]

"love you ballmer"

wasn't that enough? lol

[1nsomniac]

Thank god for that, You forget that this is the internet where some people do actually post things like this everyday as if it were gospel!

...P.S. I have no idea what or who Ballmer is??

[snake_eater]

Steve Ballmer

[slazer101]

I knew you were joking. What is sad is there are probably people out there that think that way.

[Cmk0121]

well they are forced to by law give over information. do you think that siri isnt reporting what you say back to apple, what you post on FB isnt compiled if govt wants it. be mad at the government not the company complying with the laws. Im not a criminal so care less if the governement knows i search midget porn or whatver it is...get a grip folks

[1nsomniac]

Thanks for that captain obvious. No one would of known that if it wasn't for you having to explain it but there not forced by law at all. By law they must have reasonable doubt (Some form of evidence) & a warrant before they can request information (Legally) Although in the majority of cases this is not followed & what is happening more & more now are these companies are actually just selling them the info with no questions asked - RBS, Microsoft, Facebook etc..

Why do you think all the pressure over everybody being issued your own personal ID card disappeared since Facebook came along... Because they don't need it to track you anymore because Facebook can tell them your name, DOB, religion, your exact current location, telephone number, who your family & friends are, what you look like.

Your forgetting Microsoft part in the Bilderberg group as well as Facebooks recent introduction so yes we can blame the companys for this as well as the government!

[Roper316]

I no longer buy products that have the Xbox name on them after all the BS with the XB1 policies & then throw in the fact that they are nothing more than a government lapdog compiling peoples info for them.

How nice that they have all their little spyware apps like Skype & Kinect in one cablebox addon that plays some games too.

[FanboyCrusher]

Fanboys can cry about Microsoft spying all they want. They seem to have no issue with laptops, phones, and walking in public with cameras everywhere now. Oh the irony. You have a microphone around you all the time, cameras most of time, and this is what sets you off? Kids these days.

[StockpileTom]

Public ≠ Private

Yes, people do have issues with the wireless companies doing the same thing.

Laptops cannot send data directly to the government without connection. Webpage scripts and programs can.

Public cameras are public... nothing violating rights there.

[FanboyCrusher]

You leave your cell phone and laptop outside then? Didn't think so.

[ShwankyShpanky]

Your argument has got to be one of the most idiotic that gets presented, perhaps even moreso than the "I've got nothing to hide" nonsense.

When these issues are discussed on "News 4 Phones" and "News 4 Pedestrians," maybe I'll post there. At the moment, however, we're on "News 4 Gamers," so it would make sense to discuss the issue's relation to gaming. If I went off on a rant about LPNR cameras, I think people would justifiably consider it out of place.

[FanboyCrusher]

The news is gaming related, and about privacy. It's all relevant. Only somebody who knows he's wrong would argue with me.

[ShwankyShpanky]

Please elucidate on how "walking in public with cameras everywhere" is "gaming related." Start with that, and maybe then we can consider moving on to your boilerplate false equivalency.

>>Only somebody who knows he's wrong would argue with me.

Isn't that cute. How's this: Only somebody who knows he's wrong would claim that somebody arguing with them would only do so because they know they're wrong.

[TricksterArrow]

So... Your logic is that if I'm already being monitored on my phone, laptop and whtaever else, I might as well just say "oh, well, whats one more monitoring device in my life?"... No.

[Dogteeth]

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC ("SCEA") is committed to respecting the privacy rights of all visitors to our websites. This privacy policy is intended to provide you with information on how we collect, use and store the information that you provide us.

WHAT WE COLLECT

Questions or comments sent through our websites to Consumer Services

Repair of, replacement of or service on system hardware

Subscription to a non-PSN marketing program

"Send-to-a-Friend" emails

Purchases made from the PlayStation Shop

Passive Information Collection

SCEA may collect information such as our website visitors IP address, IP address-related information, system Media Access Control (MAC) address, network configuration information, network device information, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system, and platform. We also may collect information about your download activity, browser activity, forum postings and session information.

WHO WE SHARE WITH:

We may share the personally identifying information of our website users with our affiliates of our website users with our affiliates in the Sony group family of companies and other third parties who assist us with fulfilling your requests, clear and verify transactions, deliver and administer products, content or services, manage and enhance customer data, store and maintain our database records, provide customer service, detect fraud or illegal activities, conduct customer research and surveys, develop new products and services and sell products and services to you.

SCEA may also share personally identifying information with law enforcement or similar organizations, in connection with a criminal investigation, investigation or prevention of fraud or criminal activities, infringement of intellectual property rights or other activity that is suspected to be illegal or may expose our users or SCEA to legal liability.

We may share non-personally identifying information and behavioral data from our studies with our affiliates and other third parties.

Data logged via PS3 dynamic in-game advertising or some portion of it will be shared with third party companies that operate the advertisement serving technology, and these companies may share aggregated data (meaning data that includes data about a Sony Entertainment Network account holders gaming session but is not specific to him or her) with advertisers and game publishers.

We do not control our affiliates or third parties use of your information after we share it, but we use reasonable efforts to obtain our affiliates and third parties agreement to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of any personal information we share with them or that we permit them to collect directly. If consumers do not want their personal information made available to others in these ways, they should not provide their personal information to us.

[ShwankyShpanky]

Yup... pretty standard. But Sony isn't trying to put a console-mandatory camera and microphone into my house, so they're a bit more limited in the data they would have access to.

[CanadianTurtle]

Honestly, it would be awesome to have the government spy on me. It's great to know that I'm so important that agencies have to give me attention 24/7.

[My_Outer_Heaven]

This is scary...if true. Microsoft accused of spying on us and working with the government. Snowden has already provided documented proof that Microsoft was the first corporation to join the PRISM spyprogram back in 2008! I seriously doubt this is just made up.

I hate this world we live in now... Spying on your own people is just wrong. Just like in The Dark Knight movie.. Absolutely no one should have that much power! Now Microsoft are about to release the Kinect 2 into people's homes? People must be friggin mad and naive to buy into MS Xbox One.. MS lost my trust a long time ago but this just gives me more reasons not to trust them and avoid the Xbone at all costs. How much does it take before people listen? They tried enforcing DRM, they are not gamer friendly and the public lashed out and Sony became a kind of white knight but will Sony stick to their promises? I hope so! MS did a 180 but that don't mean they won't try it again. MS are always finding new ways to screw with people whether its on a console or a Windows PC.

MS don't care about the people that use their products at all. I'm actually scared right now, after reading this article.

MS working with the NSA could mean they may know everything about us.. our lives become an open book and are no longer private but stored in their data banks. I've never trusted my government, right now the poor are getting crushed by taxes and fees which the rich don't have to pay for. Bedroom tax for got sake, pathetic! Suicide rates have risen, people are fighting more and more in the streets, couples are splitting and people are getting harassed. Less money means more stress especially for the poor. The UK is going down hill right now. I also fear what student finance will bring to the table when I graduate, I've been told they now charge interest each week whilst your not paying back your student loans. I'm currently struggling to find a job during my studies let alone after I graduate.

What happened to President Obama helping us with the recession? Things are just getting worse and worse with no end in sight!

Facebook has a creepy spy factor to it but spying is spying and it can easily be abused "like it already has".

"Those that sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither" - Benjamin Franklin.

Right now with the way the world is going I'm feeling very insecure.

[ShwankyShpanky]

Microsoft provides fusion center technology and funding for surveillance
https://www.networkworld.co...

"The ACLU's Privacy SOS presented a great article about why "it's time to pull the plug on fusion centers!" While it's well-known that Microsoft has a great and long-standing relationship with government, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies, Privacy SOS pointed out the interesting tidbit that Microsoft helps pay for fusions centers. Fusion Centers, in turn, give out grants to police departments for new surveillance technologies.

"A bipartisan Senate investigation and report previously found that fusion centers are basically 'useless' in countering terrorism, but 'troubling' when it came to violating the privacy and civil liberties of U.S. citizens."

[Soldierone]

To be fair, there is no escaping this. Yes MS was an early and big supporter of it all, but you can't escape it now.

The government death grips anyone not complying, and very few companies like Twitter are sticking up to them. Google, MS, all the tech companies and big websites are complying to it. So you might as well switch to linux, get a proxy, and stay off Facebook and never Google anything again if you truly want to hide.....

I'm not defending it, but getting mad at MS wont do anything. Stand up to the government and tell them we dont want it. They spy on us all, but can't find this Snowden guy? Isn't that the whole purpose of this spying? Yet they can't catch a guy transmitting data, using a computer, phone, buying plane tickets, and should be easy to spot.....

[StockpileTom]

Simply put the government cannot force them to store the data but only request the stored data. If the companies didn't already have a system in place to store this data the government couldn't use it.

The data was already being mined by most of these companies for the purposes of adware and marketing.

So.... anyone plan on constructing Outer Heaven? If so I'm in.

[Soldierone]

I'll be the one that sneaks in and destroys it :P

[nightfallfilms]

The Sony fanatics are so blinded by hate to realize that their are lots of other companies Sony included that have been accused of spying.

[Funantic1]

The NSA leased a nearby defunct chip plant from Sony at Loop 410 and Military Drive San Antonio, Texas. Sony hands are not clean. Check out the link to PRISM that has a Sony logo besides it. Maybe your PSN password will work there.

https://prism.spe.sony.com/...

You can use Domaintools.com to see who the domain is registered to. Just copy and paste site URL to "domain research" category.

[MatriXcian]

You Microsoft fanboys are so ridiculous!! Not once was Sony mentioned in ANY of these leaks yet it seems you guys cant help but try and drag them into the pit with Microspy. The sad fact is Microsoft is working hand in hand with the NSA in order to spy on the people this is now DOCUMENTED AND PROVEN. Not only that but Microspy REQUIRES an always on always watching and listening camera that is sensitive enough to register your heartbeat and eye movements in order for the Spybox One to function. Wake up you sheep and stop sipping the koolaid. These revelations arent good for anybody nomatter how you spin it.

[nightfallfilms]

I guess I should get rid of my cellphone, tablet, pc, car, stop going outside because I will get caught on camera or a satellite could be watching me or maybe a drone. Stop using my credit cards. We should all wear tinfoil on our heads so the aliens can't read our thoughts either.

[Funantic1]

Click on the link and go down to the 12th paragraph. Read the quotations. I'm done.

http://m.guardiannews.com/t...

[MatriXcian]

Lol, are you seriously comparing a random chat between two random hackers to the ACTUAL NSA documents someone who worked for theNSA and CIA leaked? If so you truly are retarded! The link you just provided proves nothing and you must know that. Especially on the level of the revelations being talked about in this article. You say your done like you actually proved something well in actuality you did you proved how stupid you really are. Can you honestly say that the link you provided is anywhere near the level of the Snowden revelations? Or the FACT Microsoft wants an always on highly inrrusive camera in your living room. You do know Australia labled the Xbox One as a surveilence device dont you?

[Funantic1]

Those hackers had something to do with 77 million accounts. That's one thing. But my real point was the hackers pointed out that Sony has been spying. Why? That's the question. It's easy to find stuff on Microsoft them being an American company using our search engines. And still that doesn't leave out the fact that (again) the NSA leased a nearby defunct chip plant from Sony at Loop 410 and Military Drive San Antonio, Texas. I have an actual address. If I went there I'd probably get shot. If you think it's ok then go there. Check out the link to PRISM that has a Sony logo besides it. Maybe your PSN password will work there.

https://prism.spe.sony.com/...

You can use Domaintools.com to see who the domain is registered to. Just copy and paste site URL to "domain research" category.

That's a legit site. You're too stupid to realize that without a X1 you're still not safe. The PS Eye is on the same level as Kinect even tho it's not bundled. It's still going to sell. It's ironic.

[mydyingparadiselost]

No, it should concern everyone whether they're a gamer or not.