10 Biggest Video Game Controversies Of 2019 (So Far)

9. Microsoft Listening To Our Conversations

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Microsoft

This is a fairly recent controversy, but a glaring one nonetheless.

Back during the early days of the Xbox One, the Kinect was packed in with every console, whether you wanted to use it or not. This led to the worry that the technology was going to be used for more devious things like recording conversations.

Turns out that was pretty much true.

Sources have come out and said that Microsoft hired contractors to listen to audio recordings that were accidentally being made on Xbox One, and phrases that were said that were being picked up instead.

Of course, Microsoft have claimed that they always ask for customer permission for this sort of thing, but it's likely buried deep in some documents as no-one really seemed aware they could do that.

The implication here is that Microsoft could very well be listening to even more things that we aren't even aware of. What comes next?

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Contributor

Jumping through portals, swinging through cities, destroying beings made of darkness and occasionally shooting a gun or two. I also write about games.