We Are Watching You Bill Could Impact Xbox One's Kinect Integration

Microsoft's dreams of a permanently-connected Kinect device with its upcoming Xbox One console could be in ruins, if a new US legislation bill is passed into law.

The We Are Watching You Act proposes the restriction on the use of technology that has the capability to record and monitor American citizens. If it is upheld, companies such as Microsoft that use such devices will be required to offer users an opt-in scheme, and warn them whenever it was recording data.

Companies will also have to inform users how their data is being collected and who will have access to that data. Most importantly, if a user decided to opt out of being monitored, the company will be compelled to offer the exact same service as advertised, albeit with a means to respect the user's privacy. In the case of Kinect, it means identical voice and motion features will need to be integrated, without recording any data.

For Xbox One, which requires a connected Kinect camera peripheral for it to function, this would notably wreck the benefits of having a seamless voice-activated motion control experience. And it will force Microsoft to rethink how the peripheral and the console will work in tandem.

Source: The Escapist