[freehunter]

Except that it's closed source so who can really tell?

Anyone with a computer and Wireshark.

And even if it is now, who says a 'security update' won't change that in the future?

Do we want to get into justifications about what could possibly be done with a technology and therefore refuse to use said technology? I've heard Kinect could identify the guns in your house and send the police automatically!

[foobarqux]

> Anyone with a computer and Wireshark.

The data is encrypted.

[steveklabnik]

> Anyone with a computer and Wireshark.

This assumes that the information is not encrypted, for one.

> Do we want to get into justifications about what could possibly be done with a technology and therefore refuse to use said technology?

When it comes to security, yes, you must consider all vectors. See the two news stories below about cell phones doing similar things as far back as 2006.

[freehunter]

So people are also refusing to use the PS4 camera, their cell phones, any laptop with a webcam, any tablet, the Moto X with its always-on microphone, etc? Because they could be used to infringe on privacy?

It's about risk management. What's the potential harm, what's the likelihood of that harm, and what would be the impact if this were to be used maliciously? It sounds to me like people are rejecting this because a) Microsoft and b) rumors and speculation.

[steveklabnik]

Activists have long required that any electronics go in the freezer in a different room while meetings happen, yes.

Most people just don't even think about it at all.