Microsoft Is Spying on Xbox Users!

Microsoft Cracks Down on Xbox Changes
By ALLISON LINN , AP
November 16, 2004

SEATTLE (AP) — In the days before Microsoft Corp. released the hotly anticipated Halo 2 video game for the Xbox game console, some gamers noticed a sudden spike in the number of people being kicked off the company's online game service. That was no coincidence. ADVERTISEMENT
With Halo 2 expected to entice a new batch of users to the Xbox Live online gaming community, Microsoft says it got tougher with people suspected of making unauthorized modifications to their Xboxes.

Gamers who modify Xboxes usually do so either to be able to cheat on games or use pirated copies, although some also have made changes so they can use the Xbox for other functions, from running Linux to playing music.

Cameron Ferroni, general manager of the Xbox software platform, says Microsoft is not interested in suing individual users. But the company does want to banish scofflaws from its online service, Xbox Live.

It's hard to know how many of Microsoft's 15.5 million Xbox users have modified their game consoles, although the percentage is believed to be small.

Microsoft has a unique glimpse into the approximately 1 million Xbox Live users' computers because, by virtue of signing up for the service, users agree to let Microsoft gather certain information from their machines.

Ferroni declined to go into specifics on how the company can check Xbox Live users' machines for suspected modifications. He said Microsoft has no way of checking whether players who don't use Xbox Live have modified their machines.

Neil Smith, an intellectual property lawyer with Howard Rice in San Francisco, said there's little legal risk in modifying a game system for relatively benign personal use, such as making players invulnerable.

But it is important to Microsoft to prevent such cheating on Xbox Live, where multiple players can take part in games. Ferroni said the goal is to make sure there's a level playing field.

Smith, who has represented several video game companies, said users face greater legal risk — and companies have more leverage — if a person is modifying the system to play pirated or other unauthorized games. That's especially true if the person is altering their system's security codes or settings.

Microsoft says it has focused its legal efforts on those it believes are manufacturing pirated games or mass-producing Xbox modifications.

Smith said the legality of modifying other people's technology remains hazy.

Other technology companies have grappled with how much can be done to their systems without their consent.

Earlier this year, Seattle-based RealNetworks caused a stir when it said it had developed software that allows songs purchased from its online music store to transfer to Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod by skirting internal copy protections.

Apple, which has closely guarded control of its music player, responded by accusing RealNetworks of adopting "the tactics and ethics of a hacker."

Other video game consoles don't seem to face as much tinkering for the sake of piracy as the Xbox, said PJ McNealy, an analyst with American Technology Research.

Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 doesn't have as complex antipiracy measures, he said, and Nintendo Co.'s cartridge-based games are much more difficult to pirate than the CDs that Microsoft and Sony use.

Analyst Rob Enderle said Microsoft's Xbox is also much more vulnerable to tinkering because its popular built-in hard drive more closely mimics a regular personal computer, whereas the other systems rely on less familiar technology.

"The very thing that made the Xbox a rapid success is also what made it easy to hack," Enderle said.

McNealy thinks Microsoft is right to go after those who are playing pirated games, but he thinks Microsoft might be flattered by some of the other homemade tweaks.

"To modify it to the umpteenth degree is simply a byproduct of the geek culture of the hardcore gamer," McNealy said. "It should be good news for Microsoft that there's that much demand (for Xbox) that people want to spend so much time figuring that stuff out."

 

yeppers indeed, toward the end there, theres almost an admittance to the fact that being so "mod friendly" has helped shift some sales of the xbox.
Microsoft have admitted theyre really after the game piracy "companies" (theres at least 3 I know of that have been around 2 years or more) these compaines exist by using a disclaimer (ie you must own the game to buy a backup)
I reckon thats what microsoft is aiming at.
I really cant understand WHY they actually wanna ban people from xbox live, when they know for certain a HUGE amount of people have modded xbox, and a HUGE amount want to play halo 2 on live, so in the end, its microsoft that will lose out..........that is, unless you get yourself an unmodded box, purely for xbox live...............or til some bright spark susses out how to "bypass" their "spyware" as such.
me. I live out in the middle of nowhere, cant get xblive anyhow sniff sniff

 

Sorry I didn't know that

 

Hey flynn53 thats illegal there buddy..edit your post...now...

 

me i have live but am like pretty much the only reason i have is to get update rosters and some new boards for some games that have live compatibility. I dont go online looking to get a edge or cheat like using gamesharks or or cheat codes.!!! Why is it that the people @ M$ think mod boxes are used to cheat online? hmm.....

 

whats illegal about posting a news article just to ask.

 

i think it was the edit at the bottom of the post before flint's post i think? not sure? any new news on the ban expidention of M$? trying to get all the info i can!!!

 

wait...they can look in our PCs or XBOXs??

 

we are talking about M$ looking into your x-box to check for any discrepancies

 

if you have read the news article, i think the moral of the story is: [bold] If you modded your xbox, and go on xbox live, you must turn off your modchip[/bold]

do that, and i dont think microsoft can do nothing your xbox. personally i dont use my xbox to go on xboxlive, i have a pstwo.. so i use that, plus its free.

 

i totaly agree turn off chip... If you look around you can get xbox live for free

 

liars

 

lying?? whos lying?

 

Yup, its true. I got banned. BTW, better not play halo2, even if u turn mod chip off. M$ still knows wut u were doing. Now trying to buy new xbox and turn banned xbox into linux machine. Any suggestions about linux?

 

for linux get xebian or gentoox.

 

oh, once your banned your banned for good, theey must bann your machine number or something i'm sure there's a way to change it or get a patch for it though

 

they bann the ID of the Xbox and the IP of your internet connection. so to go back on live u have to get a new box and new ISP. i think.

 

"Every computer connected to the Internet is assigned a unique number known as an Internet Protocol (IP) address" said by the web definision, So in my words an ip adress is given tyo a computer whenacessing the internet, by the dial up acount or the broadban so, like i have aol evry time i sigh on i have a different ip adrress, But listen TerryKwok a broadband connection is allwayson so it allways has the same ip adress, So even if you buy a new xbox the ip adress is still the same and you're still banned, so saving money and trouble call up your broadband service and request for an ip change i don't know if they will do it but that's the only way to solve the problem. Note: No affence but i honestly don't beleave that they use the IP adrres if they do what i said on top should work/ as i said i think what they do is there is a # on your xbox motherboard and when you get on xbox live the first thing microsoft looks for is that # and bang you can't get on : Thus : if it were buying a new xbox should work?/ i honestly don't know what # they use

 

oh sorry i miss read Id for Ip

 

They don't ban the IP of your Xbox. It would be too easy to get back on if they did. They ban the eeprom of your xbox. It is possible to get a new eeprom, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to acquire.