Technically Stalking – Two Tech Giants & Privacy
Stephen Nesbitt | IT Recruiter | Twitter | LinkedIn
Privacy has come under the spotlight in a huge way recently. The West Wing correctly predicted that privacy would be the major civil issue of this generation. It was way back in 1999 that Sam Seaborn, played by Rob Lowe, called privacy the constitutional issue of the next few decades.
There was outrage after the Manning Military secrets leak, the US was seriously shaken as it’s privacy laws were violated. But, what happens when a Tech Giant wants to do the same? They want to record, keep, lease and sell your private information and user data to the highest bidder. Is this privacy issue different to the issue faced by the US when dealing with Bradley Manning? This blog takes a look at how Microsoft and Google have been perceived by the public following recent releases of controversial technology and its’ effect on privacy in the home.
Microsoft
With news that Micosoft’s Xbox One required users to be connected to the internet, and their Xbox live account, 24 hours a day in order to play games or stream shows, this security conscious blogger asks when has technology moved past convenience and into stalking?
The out-of-the-box Xbox One Kinect Camera and Microphone by default is always-on, works-in-the-dark, and is constantly connected to the internet and 300,000 servers.
Why do Microsoft need to have a camera and Mic always active in your house? The most obvious reason? – Spying. Yes, spying. Microsoft have even applied for a Kinect related patent that will allow them to legally gather data regarding how many people are using a specific service. For example, you have paid for a license for 3 people to watch a pay-per-view show, but you later decide to invite two more friends to watch the show. Microsoft will now know that you have five people watching a show under a license that only allows up to 3 viewers. They will then charge you the difference!
It’s not just Microsoft that are up to somewhat sketchy antics on the privacy front – Google have now joined the race. The United States Patent and Trademark office have approved a ‘pay per Gaze’ patent that will allow Google to gather anonymous data, assumedly via Google Glass. The patent also allows Google to gather data directly in front of the users eye – “inferring [the] emotional state of the user while viewing the external scenes based at least in part upon the pupil dilation information.”
In developing an algorithm that will record a user’s emotional response to an image or video, Google have potentially locked up a large and competitive market, with this, arguably the most accurate data possibly available for measuring human emotional responses to advertising. I’ll admit, the technology is pretty cool, it can scan and analyze human emotional responses to a particular stimulus by scanning pupil dilation and plugging the data to an algorithm.
The news that Google were approved for their patent has come and gone with some comment, but with nowhere near the level of outrage that proceeded Microsoft’s unveiling of the Xbox One and it’s creepy features. Why can one tech giant get off the hook while the other is subject to public ridicule and outrage?
Perceptions
People have always been slightly suspect of Microsoft. Sure they were great, we all ran Windows for years on desktops and laptops, but really they have always been more focused on making money than customer service or convenience. Microsoft have always been perceived as the Corporation for Corporations, rather than a consumer electronics company, which in fairness they are not. This is underlined by Bill Gates’ fame as a Billionaire and one of the world’s richest men. The perception of Microsoft is that they are just another corporation out to make profit, and they have no real drive to make the world a better place through technology.
Google on the other hand provide most of their services free of charge and are in general more personable, furry, cuddly and fun. Google’s “Don’t be evil” mantra tells that they are more about people than profit. Their aims don’t seem to be 100% focused on making money, and they seem to have a real passion and excitement for what they do. This is underlined by super-interesting projects like Glass, and from having open-source software from day one. The public perception of Google is that they make next generation technology to make life easier for all.
Who do you prefer? Will you buy the Xbox One or Google Glass?
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