Microsoft have announced that Xbox Live will have new use of agreements terms by the end of this week. The new Xbox Live data asks for all users to commit both to keeping their contact information up to date but also for the company to share personal data with its partners.
“If you choose to link this account with your Xbox Live account, we confirm key data points across the accounts by sharing data such as your name, address, email address and date of birth with the partner,” the post reads. “In this TOU update, customers agree to allow Microsoft to share this information in this manner.”
The breakdown of this data usage goes further:
“We require certain permissions in order for you to evaluate or use and for us to enable the features and functions of the Xbox LIVE/Games for Windows-LIVE service. These features and functions include leaderboards, live-hosted gameplay, achievements, tournaments, and gamer profile sharing. If you evaluate or use or we enable these features and functions, you grant Microsoft and its affiliates, resellers, distributors, service providers, partners, and suppliers (each, a “Microsoft party”) the following permissions: Microsoft parties may use, track, store, copy, distribute, broadcast, transmit, publicly display and perform, and reproduce: (i) your game scores; (ii) your game play sessions; (iii) your presence on the Xbox LIVE/Games for Windows-LIVE service; (iv) the time that you spend on or within particular portions of the Xbox LIVE/Games for Windows-LIVE service; (v) portions of the Xbox LIVE/Games for Window-LIVE service that are displayed on your monitor or screen and the duration of that display; (vi) rankings, statistics, gamer profiles, avatars, and content that you may submit; and (vii) other usage information. These permissions apply with or without attribution to you, your gamertag or avatar. We may use these permissions without notice or compensation to you of any kind. To avoid any confusion, we have the right to make information pertaining to your use of, and gameplay on, Xbox LIVE available through Games for Windows-LIVE, and vice versa. If you choose to link your Services account with the account of a Microsoft party on the Xbox LIVE service (for example, a game publisher or app provider), you agree that Microsoft may share limited account information with that Microsoft party. Such account information may include name, address, email and age but will not include any credit card or other payment information.”
Whilst it has been confirmed in Microsoft’s online privacy statement that Xbox Live account holders may back out of sharing some aspects of their information, it is uncertain as to what this covers exactly.
“If you have an Xbox.com or Xbox LIVE account, you can set your contact preferences and choose whether to share your contact information with Xbox partners by accessing My Xbox on the Xbox 360 console or on the Xbox.com website. To access these settings on the Xbox.com website, select My Xbox, Profile then Contact Preferences. On the Xbox 360 console, select My Xbox, Profile then Online Safety.”
What do you make of these changes to Microsoft’s Xbox Live terms of agreement? Let us know what you think in the comments below.