As most of you probably know, Microsoft announced the Xbox One last week. It has a ton of new features including an always-on camera and microphone. Which is bringing up some privacy concerns. In fact it’s said that it could potentially gather personal data to be sold to the highest bidder. Which is not something you want. The director over at Civil Liberties Australia, Tim Vines, spoke with GamesFIX about this potentially privacy breach. And his thoughts aren’t rosy for Redmond.

Vines basically said that Microsoft has a lot to answer for with a product that can listen and watch everything you do. Tim Vines feels that Microsoft should be more upfront about what the Xbox One does with the data collected with the always-on features. He also says:

“Microsoft’s new Xbox meets the definition of a surveillance device under some Australian laws, so they need to be upfront and tell customers whether anyone else can intercept their information or remotely access their device.”

This isn’t just a problem in Australia as Berlin’s federal data protection commissioner, Peter Schaar told Spiegel Online that the Xbox One is nothing more than a monitoring device that’s disguised as a gaming console.

So is the Xbox One a major breach of privacy and security? How do you feel about the “always-on” features of Microsoft’s newest console? Let us know in the comments below!

[via GamesFIX]