Heya people!
So, this isn’t going to be overly SL related. To explain why all these things came to my mind: The new XBox One with the Kinect Camera by Microsoft has been presented to the public and I was sorta shocked when I read this article:
Spiegel.de – XBox One – Microsoft kann jetzt ihr Sofa sehen. Here is an english article, pay attention to the last two paragraphs: Microsoft unveils the new XBox One. Anyone who will use the XBox One as intended (as some sort of substitution for all the media/media controls in your living room or wherever you hang out most), it won’t be always on…but a LOT of your time.
So, is it just me or is this really fucking creepy? Collecting data by filming you the entire time while that thing is connected to the web (which is seemingly amost always the case when it is turned on)? Filming how you sit on your couch, who visits you, how you come home drunk and puke all over the table, film your kids, your parents, your dog. Filming arguments and what not? Your family hanging about in pajamas, your daughter forgetting to turn it off and running around half naked in her room? Seriously? How far do people let them go? I was really looking forward to the new generation of consoles but this makes it an instant NO BUY for me.
I hate being observed and having my life interpreted by data collectors!
I am tired of being observed, having my every step filmed, my data collected just to be swarmed with TONS of lameass advertisements, advertisement calls, more advertisements…and more rubbish. There are some really annoying offenders out there already: Apple, Facebook, Google and our wonderful politicians with their “security plans”. Ever since 9/11 the “terrorists” are the ever valid excuse for all politicians to support any sort of permanent observation and intrusion upon privacy. I am sick and tired of it.
To quote Bejamin Franklin who said something VERY wise about this issue:
“Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
Granted, this is an old quote, but it still applies. I don’t want to give up my privacy and personal rights in order to live more ‘secure’.
Here a few examples:
Apple: The IPhone used to collect exact data of your geographical locations in an unprotected file, easily accessible by others. Does it still? I won’t buy one. Iphone-Article
Google: Oh, we all know our best friend Google and how it saves our searches keywords and displays all the right advertisements and links JUST FOR US. Such selfless, kindhearted people with good intentions, aren’t they? Fuck that shit, I want to google porn without having others watch over it and interprete my favourite sexual desires. Oh and don’t forget Google Streetview! Everyone knows where you live know and what curtains you use. Yay!
Paypal: Ohh Paypal, you customer friendly, selfless, wonderful institution. Such a good pal you are. Allowing third parties of all kinds (banks, marketing companies, companies that collect data about your directions, identity etc.) insight on our data. Pages of pages of WORLDWIDE companies having access to your data. Granted, the longest list is the one for the marketing companies. 
Many people use Paypal for Secondlife, have they ever truly read all the TOS? Find the list here, because apparently I am too dumb to even find it on the english Paypal site: List of who has access to your bankaccount/Paypal Data
Facebook: Isn’t it still terribly creepy that whenever you upload a picture FB recognizes you and your friends and makes correct tagging offers? That it is incredibly hard for new users to find out to turn off all those apps, privacy thingies and what not? Yes, such a SOCIAL network.
Cities: In Germany, whenever you register yourself as a citizen (for example, after moving to a new town/place within the same town) in the City’s Office, you have to specifically ask to be handed a form where you have to put your signature to disallow them to share your data with marketing companies. O_o
Politicians: The terrorists are EVERYWHERE. Ev-ery-where. The constant fear-mongering of course works wonders: People don’t care anymore that you cannot move in some cities without being filmed, that it might just be possible that people are listening in on your private phonecalls. Security above all! Read the above quote by Benjamin Franklin again and think about it. And of course…one can always win an election when promising ‘more safety’.
I am sure there are more. It’s the little things at times that piss me off. Take the gaming area: For how many games (EA Games being very prominent in that regard) do you have to STAY connected to the internet, even though it is a single person offline game? How many games cannot be resold anymore, because they are registered with your personal data? Isn’t that a little odd? You buy something and cannot resell it even though you have legally paid for it? How creepy is it that EA Games (and others) apparently find it fancy to collect your data while you game? O.o At least they sort of cut their selfproclaimed rights a little to browse any of your data for their purposes by now. It’s the sole reason why I still haven’t bought any Assassin’s Creed games (Ubisoft), even though I want them badly.
Funny thing is: Apparently companies in Germany are now considering to overview the amount of energy you use as well. Politicians are discussing currently to implement a mandatory (!) chip in refrigerators to be able to turn them off whenever they think a so called Blackout might be happening. Or…whenever they think you use up too much energy? Who knows. But soon enough, the kitchen is no safe place either anymore if you want to escape the everpresent collection of data/observation.
Be careful!
I use Google. I am on Facebook. However, I am super careful with what I reveal about myself. The youngest age that allows you to enter Facebook is 13. I am a teacher, and most of my little 13 years old in 7th grade had NO idea what they signed up for. They got a lot more careful about certain things after we did a little Facebook-Project. Isn’t 13 a little young for a network in which adults are? Can parents really keep track of everything their kids do on the internet? I doubt it, and I am rather much sure that Facebook and other wonderful companies are well aware as well.
So yeah, I am done ranting. I want my peace. Get out of my livingroom! Or wait, are you in my bathroom already? Do showers now have cameras to watch our bathing habits? 
The wall of text ends now and I feel a little relieved because I had to get this off my shoulders. Gah.
<3 Arica
