Oh, and trusting Microsoft by saying that they won't let the NSA spy on you? LOOOOL. I wouldn't trust Sony either! When the G man comes knocking, you fall in line real damned fast. The history of tech companies, ESPECIALLY MICROSOFT, is that they do whatever they're damned well told. You want to troll through our servers holding customer data? GO AHEAD! They've done it before, no reason to think they're angels now.
In a secret court in Washington, Yahoo’s top lawyers made their case. The government had sought help in spying on certain foreign users, without a warrant, and Yahoo had refused, saying the broad requests were unconstitutional. The judges disagreed. That left Yahoo two choices: Hand over the data or break the law. So Yahoo became part of the National Security Agency’s secret Internet surveillance program, Prism, according to leaked N.S.A. documents, as did seven other Internet companies.
But the decision has had lasting repercussions for the dozens of companies that store troves of their users’ personal information and receive these national security requests — it puts them on notice that they need not even try to test their legality. And despite the murky details, the case offers a glimpse of the push and pull among tech companies and the intelligence and law enforcement agencies that try to tap into the reams of personal data stored on their servers.
In addition to Yahoo, which fought disclosures under FISA, other companies, including Google, Twitter, smaller communications providers and a group of librarians, have fought in court elements of National Security Letters, which the F.B.I. uses to secretly collect information about Americans. Last year, the government issued more than 1,850 FISA requests and 15,000 National Security Letters.
Between 2008 and 2012, only two of 8,591 applications were rejected, according to data gathered by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a nonprofit research center in Washington. Without obtaining court approval, intelligence agents can then add more specific requests — like names of individuals and additional Internet services to track — every day for a year.
Other companies are asking for permission to talk about national security requests. Google negotiated with Justice officials to publish the number of letters they received, and were allowed to say they each received between zero and 999 last year, as did Microsoft. The companies, along with Facebook and Twitter, said Tuesday that the government should give them more freedom to disclose national security requests.
I remember Empire Total War did this with Steam. I bought my copy of ETW form gamestop. I like to by local (gamestop hires people in my community). It was a mandatory steam install for those that did not have it... It wasn't very nice but, I think the entire industry is trying to move this way in music, movies, games... get away from the pirated disc and force people to pay. It doesn't affect me because I buy everything legally but, I understand the frustration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/t...mpanies-in-data-bind.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Plenty of companies have challenged the FISA reuests, but since the hearings are held in closed sessions, the data just isn't out there in plain sight to show how little recourse a company has to fight a FISA request. Even the "NSA letters" sent to ISP's that are far more common are rarely overturned in court when challenged and again the proceedings are covered by redacted warrants and sealed gag-orders.
"Fortunately, we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity and it's called Xbox 360," he told Game Trailer's Geoff Keighley. When Keighley asks if that's Microsoft's message, Mattrick reiterates his point.
heh might as well tell them to buy a PS4. You would want a Xbox One ot play games, will those games be available on the 360, I doubt it. His message makes no sense. Maybe MS will release a version with no network play at all or just very limited.
the stupidity of ms during this whole conference is really mind bottling (that was on purpose). as i've said before i will be REALLY REALLY surprised if ms doesn't do SOMETHING to change the x1 before launch. whether it is lowering the price, adding in a freebie, removing 24h check in, removing kinect ... just SOMETHING.
When open Amazon Games poll on FB shows you losing 15-1 or whatever, yeah Microsoft needs to remove head from ass immediately.
Not enough install base = not profitable = dead in the marketplace. Rendering all the $500+ investments of the die hard fanboys that buy that BS useless when they pull the plug.
lol @ internet polls. when you see sony fanboys like amdzen going around in 5 threads spamming that poll, telling everyone to vote for ps4, and anandtech is supposedly a more mature forum, you think this isn't happening on other forums all over the net?
regardless of internet polls, i just hope ms hears about the backlash in the media and press, and there is no way they can't hear it. but i just hope they actually do something about it.
That's a perfect example that backs up what I'm saying. Microsoft, Sony, Google, Yahoo, etc. ALL of them are helpless in the face of governmental powers. Think a PS4 will be immune to intrusion from the NSA? Think again. At least it doesn't have a mandatory camera on the damned thing.
And that is JUST the quasi-legal FISA court stuff, tip of the iceberg compared to warrantless surveillance and data mining.
the stupidity of ms during this whole conference is really mind bottling (that was on purpose). as i've said before i will be REALLY REALLY surprised if ms doesn't do SOMETHING to change the x1 before launch. whether it is lowering the price, adding in a freebie, removing 24h check in, removing kinect ... just SOMETHING.
It's not hyperbole when it's true, lol.
And I'm much more opposed to the tyrannical governmental actions under Bush/Obama/etc than I am to corporations using products which they can abuse.
The chief complaint about the Kinect is that it, idiotically, is not only packed in, driving the cost of the system up, but its NOT DISCONNECTABLE. Hah. What stupidity. It will be hilarious seeing the massive failure of this thing.
When open Amazon Games poll on FB shows you losing 15-1 or whatever, yeah Microsoft needs to remove head from ass immediately.
There is also something to be said about letting the people in a thread dedicated to the X-Bone that are truly interested in getting one having a discussion amongst themselves with out being vilified for their decision or interest by someone with a differing negative opinion. There's a basher thread open for that discussion @ http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2324777
what they really need to do is not make games mandatory to install, but if you do install them, then it requires the disc to either be in the drive, or do an online verification of some sort.
how they fucked up this simple option is beyond me.
The problem is the things people want come with a price. Gamers wanted to be able to install to the HDD and not have to use the disc. That doesn't work without online. Otherwise, everyone just installs it and swaps the disc around.
I think everyone would be happy with the 24 hour phone home if it was only for features like discless play. If you haven't authenticated in 24 hours, you must have the disc in the system to authenticate the game. Problem solved for 99% of the check in problems.
They have done a lot of great things, like the loaner system. They even let you loan a game to one friend and play it with him. That is similar to the spawn system Blizzard did with Starcraft.
Haters gonna hate I guess.
I love this thread. Someone posts a link of actual MS quotes about being able to turn off all features of the Kinect and turn it fully off; of course people respond with "NSA is getting the data MS is collecting by spying on you all the time! OMG!"
Yet another idiotic thing you've said. You realize you can install games on PC and PS4 too and they don't have this problem. This isn't a next gen thing either, you can download games on PS3 and 360 in the same manner.
So how is Sony doing it on PS4 if it can't be done other than with the way xbone is doing it?
Drrrrrrrrrrrr