Big Brother is Listening
 

Just heard from my buddy (who confirmed this through management at Xbox) that the FBI is entering into negotiations to "Monitor" Xbox Live Chat Feature.
My buddy works front office (if you have read some of my other posts you know where) and isn't into the inner working for Live. However, both of us agreed that it would be impossible for Xbox (and the Feds) to record conversations, they would actually have to hear them live.

Supposidly they already to this in Evercrack, Sims Online, and various other online games. Supposidly there have actually been arrests in Sims of child pornographers and other criminal aspects.

I personally have nothing to hide, but the thought of big brother listening in to my buddies and I in a full on Frag Fest is less than ideal.

How do you guys feel about this? :hmm:

Considering I don't have X-Box Live, I think that's pretty shitty from a personal standpoint. I have nothing to hide, either, but I have never ever ever enjoyed being evesdropped on. Granted, it's for a good reason ("there have actually been arrests in Sims of child pornographers and other criminal aspects"), but I still don't like it because I am no suspect by any means.

H12.. I agree from the personal standpoint. If the Feds want to hear about how drunk I got the night before, or what sexual positions my wife and I tried more power too them. However, I think that the whole personal freedom aspect is being TRAMPLED on by the current administration.
I mean, if you have a chat room consisting of Apu1211, Sanjiit2121, Mohammed12, and RamabusII then jump on in and listen.

given my ideas on monitoring in general, this is bullcrap. the federal government has no right to know what i'm talking about while i'm killing monsters. VIVA LA RESISTANCE

Heh, I can just see new terrorist attacks being discussed over a game of Project Gotham Racing 2...but I agree, if there's something suspicious, then record/transmit what's goin' on to the FBI A.S.A.P., but I don't think that every little thing that every last person says should be paid that much attention to. The FBI could be doin' alot better things then listening to what sexual positions you and you wife tried. =P

I don't think that Bush had much to do with this -- it's simply a matter of the ever creeping scope of the power of federal government. If no one makes a fuss because they feel it doesn't affect them yet, more personal freedoms will go down the drain and everyone will end up having less privacy.

That's crazy...how does this get around wiretapping laws? Or are the agents active participants in the game?

I can see that there would be some federal concerns. The next gen of XBoxLive will have video chat at supposedly good res. It may just replace a phone in some cases.

These are technological growing pains. XLive is not a required service, and if the people rebel, we've got an eighty billion dollar M$ legal fund. I doubt M$ would stand for any infringement that would affect their product.

Actually MS is in talks with the Fed right now (source of my info). However, my assumption is that this will be taken care of in one of two fashions:
a) The Fed applies for and receives a "wiretap" warrant due to suspicions of one person or persons.
b) The Fed hires people to play online games and listen into the banter.
I personally don't have a problem with #1 as it is targeted to specific individuals. I have mixed feelings with regards to #2, only because I want to know where to send my application! :)

While I don't think that Bush is the one sitting in the office saying "Let's kill personal freedoms", he is the one that directly influences government policy at the time. Guilty by association! :)

no its not cool... think about this.

Think of a good teamplay FPS... first there is general strategy. Say you're speaking about Desert Combat and you're playing as the Iraqies speaking down about the americans and how you're going to take them out............ easily misconstrued as you DID badmouth the american forces.. although any gamer could explain how you ment it.

Also... FPS...hrmm.. how about, "I'm going to kill you." I hear that a lot.. but monitored by the FBI and all these so called death threats?

Things will really fly through the fan if that goes down.

What about saying, I am going to kill bush... i wonder how fast that would get you arrested.. im probably red flagged for this post already, ohwell

This is so fucked up, but not the least bit shocking if you consider how things have been going lately.

That's why I like to say: "I am going to kill the president....of the Federation of planets," every day on MSN.

Regardless of the legality of this sort of eavesdropping... it's really really stupid and waste of resources.

I don't mind if the FBI does this, as long as we're told it's going on. If I wasn't told I was being spied on while using Xbox Live, that would wicked lame.

That's exactly the problem. People are giving up their privacy rights too easily. If we made a public outrage and started voting out everyone who votes for allowing this shit to happen the message would be heard. Instead, the candidates are able to use bullshit platforms like "family values" "my opponent is a bigger liar than I am" and all the other BS things that people run on.

Instead we can just sit back and let them take a little more each time. Eventually we'll be rounded up for badmouthing the govt.

I think this is bullshiat.

The FBI can listen to me all day long, but without a wiretap warrant with my name on it, they can't do crap. Besides, they don't have the manpower to do much of anything these days, can you imagine what it would take to monitor this? Bah.

either way.. if it does... I'll never own an X-box and never look back.

I'm more concerned about the persistent phone tap tha tkicks in every time I mention the presiden't name on my cell phone. They're not even trying to hide it, I can hear people talking in the background.

THAT IS TOTALLY NOT FAIR!!! These are federal agents TRAINED IN COMBAT. If they let the agents play they would be better than anyone else and they would get people to stop playing xbox live. It's a way for the government to stop people from buying microsoft products.

werd to ya,brutha

Uhm... and if I (being canadiana) were to be in a sexbox live chat with an american... they can spy on me? WTF

hrmm... good point Jam... doing such a thing with Xbox could infringe on international security. FBI could get in shitloads of trouble as gamers are worldwide, not just the US.

BTW, all you people saying "I am glad I don't have an Xbox" don't think that they aren't in the same negotiations with Sony. :)

I am glad I only have a GameCube =D

yeah, Go GameCube :D

The day they tap me cussing out an Omega Pirate on Metroid Prime in my own room will be the day I quit gaming. God bless you, Gamecube.

yeah I have no Sony either.. heh. If they start tapping, I quit using the system... At the very least I'd quit using any games that are to be used online.

Go GameCube!!

They can spy on me, so long as it can't be used against me unless Im commiting a truly horrid crime. For example if I started talking about how much someone should assassinate Bush, that shouldnt be recorded. But if i start talking in muslim about the bomb on flight 428 b leaving los angeles tomorrow, well thats legit. I think it is okay for them to spy on me as long as most of the evidence is inadmissable for warrant and court and only used to give them a direction for investigation.

I mean if they set down a certain list of taboos like terrorism and child porn, then spy away.
If they put me in jail because my kid brother managed to get porn on my comp and he talks about it on Xbox live and I get arrested... Fuck you?

Even then, I dont think searching up how to build a bomb should be illegal, mainly just give them a direction of investigation.

so.... you say its ok for them to do it if you speak in muslim but not english? Sorry, but I really did not need to read that. I know what you said.. but how would they determine what to listen to then? The attack on the president or the plane-jack? Well by your method it would be the language used. Personally I say, no, No, NO! As gamers we talk smack, and say weird shit. A lot of it means nothing, we merely got frustrated and I don't think we should be kept under the watchful eye because someone scored a cheap spawn kill on me and I replied with, "I'm now going to hunt you down and kill you."

BTW, when you say "Its ok, unless...." then there is NO unless. YOU just allowed them to listen to you. They won't go, "Oh he's badmouthing the president lets put him on mute." This question is a Yes or No, there is no inbetween as there is no way to void it if someone says something... as its hard to be warned of such a thing, let alone mute it.

So all you people saying "Yes, just not this:..." You said Yes, spy on me all the time...

Ricer they have all sorts of fucked up power becuase of thier patriot acts... if you want the land of the truely free go to canada :D either my government doesnt spy on me or they are better at hiding it

oh and, go ninja go ninja go