Tag Archives: privacy settings

Protect Your Privacy on Xbox Series X/S – Settings to Change

Online privacy is officially a big deal for console gamers. The ninth generation of game consoles offer immersive social experiences. And to deliver them the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are intended to be connected to the internet nearly all the time.

Microsoft, Sony, and their developers are always looking for methods to improve their software and products. And tracking the activity of their users is an important way they get feedback.

The trend has been for companies to not hold back in terms of collecting user data and sharing it with their partners such as advertisers. But the good news is that’s only the default. They also give their customers the ability to control which data is collected, and which isn’t. People that take the time to change their privacy settings are rewarded with greater anonymity as well as peace of mind knowing their actions are not being tracked.

One step Microsoft took in respecting its customers’ online privacy is the removal of technology that gathers voice data. Before the release of Xbox Series X/S in 2020 the company updated its privacy policy and announced it would no longer collect voice search or speech-to-text data on users. In contrast, the PS5 collects voice data by default and it can be turned off in the privacy settings.

Xbox users have the option of changing their privacy settings either on the console or through the web.

Ready to boost your privacy on Xbox Series X and S? Let’s get started!

Where to Change Your Privacy Setting on Xbox Series X/S

Xbox Series X and S offer a comprehensive list of privacy features ranging from presets for families to controlling the information other Xbox Live users can see about you.

To access your Xbox’s privacy features, press the Xbox button and then select Profile & System > Settings > Account > Xbox Live Privacy > Privacy & Online Safety.

General Privacy Settings for Families

One of the first things you’ll notice in the Xbox’s privacy settings are the defaults for children, teens, and adults. This approach makes it easy for parents to manage the accounts of each of their family members.

Child: These defaults are intended for young children and it has the highest level of privacy. Children can download free content such as games, videos, music, and apps. They need permission from an adult to add friends. They’re only able to communicate with approved friends and their name Is hidden. Even friends can only see their display name.

Teen: The Teen defaults are less restrictive than Child in terms of socializing. They’re still limited to downloading free content only. They’re given more freedom to connect with people (and to be connected with). Friends can see when they’re online and view their profile.

Adult: As you’d expect Adult has few restrictions. You can download whatever you like. And your activity is shared and visible to your friends.

Exploring Xbox’s Privacy Options

The privacy defaults give you a good starting point. From there you can drill down into the options and make additional tweaks if you desire.

For example, by going to Profile & System > Settings > Account > Privacy & Online Safety > Message Safety, you can specify who can contact you and through which channels of communication. These settings can be adjusted for voice, text, and messages.

If there are people on your friends list you don’t want to share everything with, Xbox allows you to manage this. You can determine which friends can see your real name, as well as who can comment on your activity feed. To change your feed settings, go to Settings > General > Online Safety & Family.

Finally, you’ll want to check which social media accounts your Xbox is connected to. Just hop onto Settings, then Account. It’s recommended that you disconnect any apps you haven’t used in the past six months.

Turning Off Data Collection

Microsoft’s announcement that it would no longer be collecting voice data from its users was a breath of fresh air.

They do still collect diagnostic and usage data about your console. This means Microsoft tracks the apps and features you use. Data collection is also used for error reporting, “to help improve console performance, troubleshooting, and more,” as they put it.

For online privacy aficionados, blocking data collection is one first things to do when they get a new console. While most of the Xbox’s privacy settings relate to how you share information with other users, this is a key option that stops Microsoft from tracking your activity.

Go to Privacy & Online Safety and then Data Collection. From here you can select ‘Block’ from the dropdown menu.

It’s also likely that Microsoft collects data related to their mailing list such as if their emails were opened, read, deleted, etc. If you’re not that interested in keeping up with Microsoft’s offers you’ll want to head to ‘Contact Preferences’ and remove yourself from their mailing list.

Boost Your Online Privacy with a VPN

Want to enjoy gaming with the highest level of privacy? Consider using a VPN.

So, what’s a VPN? It’s short for virtual private network. Essentially, it’s an encrypted tunnel that goes between your Xbox and the internet.

Companies and individuals can find out a lot about you such as your location when they have access to your IP address. VPNs replace your IP with a different IP that’s associated with any location you choose. It allows you to take your online privacy into your own hands rather than hoping for the best with privacy settings.

To learn about how to use a VPN with the Xbox Series X/S, check out this guide. And if you’re starting your research about VPN services visit LetMeBy’s reviews of the top choices.

Verdict

Unlike Sony’s PS5 the Xbox Series X/S doesn’t give you a list of options to configure in terms of data that is sent back to Microsoft. That’s good and more straightforward! All data collection can either be turned on or off.

Xbox shines at giving you many privacy options so you can control who sees your real name, your feed, who can contact you, etc. You’ll feel good about hopping on Xbox Live knowing your account can be as public or private as you like by tweaking the settings.

Protect Your Privacy on PS5 – Settings to Change

Many are acutely aware of privacy catches associated with social media apps but neglect to consider their online privacy on game consoles.

With the PS5’s fun multiplayer experiences, stunning 4K visuals, and ray tracing, privacy isn’t usually top of mind. But it only takes one quick trip to its privacy settings to recognize it’s worth looking at and tweaking.

Unlike the PS4 that came before it, the PS5 has a mic built right into its DualSense controller. That means privacy is officially a big deal on Sony consoles. What you blurt out can potentially be captured and used as a key data point by the company. In fact, it’s recently been confirmed that the PS5’s controller automatically records anything you say after unlocking a trophy.

Sony is also collecting other user behavior data such as the games you play, plus audio and video content you stream. Other data such as time spent in games, upload and download speed, and game libraries are also being uploaded to Sony’s servers and analyzed.

It’s unlikely they’re spying on gamers. Rather the data is used to improve Sony’s software and products. Regardless, if the idea of your every action being tracked bothers you there are steps you can take to regain your privacy.

1. Limit Data Sent Back to Sony

To get started, launch your PS5 and drill down into the privacy settings:

Settings > Users and Accounts > Privacy > Data You Provide

For the PS5 to function correctly it needs to collect some data. However, you’re free to turn off sharing of your behavioral data. Thus, Sony gives users two options:

Full – Share behavioral data to help us continually improve and personalize your experience.

Limited – Share only data necessary to maintain and operate core PlayStation features and services.

Select ‘Limited’ for greater privacy.

Next, scroll down to see other data Sony is collecting and to access additional privacy settings.

2. Turn Off Voice Data Collection

You can also disable voice data collection without affecting the PS5 DualSense controller’s ability to accept voice commands.

There’s no way of knowing what Sony is doing with the various voice recordings it collects or the extent of what is being captured. Sony has said they don’t record audio used in voice chats. No statements have been made about audio within videos. And what about things you say when you think your mic is off, but it isn’t?

Access the following menus to turn off voice data collection:

Settings > Users and Accounts > Privacy > Voice Data Collection

Once again there are two options. And it’s super straightforward.

Allow – Use your voice data to improve voice features.

Don’t Allow – Don’t use your voice to improve voice features.

Select ‘Don’t Allow’ so Sony can’t potentially collect private statements or your conversations.

3. Turn Off the PS5’s Mic Entirely

Do you rarely use the PS5’s mic and voice command features? If that’s the case you may want to set up your PS5 so the mic is off when you’re logged in, or manually turn off the DualSense controller’s mic when it isn’t needed.

To manually turn off your mic, tap the ‘Mute’ button located under the PS button on your controller. If the button is lit up orange that means the mic is off. Additionally, you’ll also briefly see a mute notification icon appear in the top right corner of your screen.

A bit on the forgetful side when it comes to details? Keep your mic turned off by default when you power up your console. Go here:

Settings > Sound > Microphone > Microphone Status When Logged In

Move down to ‘Microphone Status When Logged In’ and choose ‘Off.’

4. Don’t Include Mic Audio in Video Recordings

Many gamers like to include ad-libs and commentary in their gaming videos. If you’re the type that’s only interested in capturing gameplay there’s no need to capture audio with your mic. Go here:

Settings > Captures and Broadcasts > Video Clip Format > Include Your Mic’s Audio

Turn off ‘Include Your Mic’s Audio’ so speech and background noise aren’t captured in your videos.

5. Switch Off Video Recordings When Trophies Are Unlocked

Ah, that moment of glory when you unlock a hard-to-achieve trophy. The PS5 records a short video to commemorate the moment along with audio from your mic.

It’s a fun feature but it also has privacy implications. Voice data associated with this feature is sent to Sony. The videos also take up plenty of hard drive space, particularly if they’re being recorded in 4K.

If trophy videos don’t interest you, disable them here:

Settings > Captures and Broadcasts > Trophies > Save Trophy Videos

Recommended: Gain Better Privacy by Using a VPN

If you want your online privacy to be the best it can be on the PlayStation Network, you’ll want to consider using a VPN.

A virtual private network, or VPN for short, is an encrypted tunnel that goes between your PS5 and the internet. It hides your true IP address and location and replaces it with an IP associated with the country of your choice.

VPNs protect you from malicious users on the PlayStation Network. It also gives gamers greater anonymity. VPNs can prevent companies and third parties from collecting data about you. And if they do manage to collect your data the VPN makes it impractical for them to associate the data with your true identity.

The PS5’s operating system has advanced settings that make it straightforward to leverage a VPN service. Check out LetMeBy’s full guide to using your PS5 with a VPN.

Verdict

It’s time to take privacy seriously on game consoles like PS5. By default, your activity is tracked but thankfully Sony has made it fairly simple to opt-out of this within your ‘Settings.’

The fact that Sony gathers voice data from PS5 gamers is particularly alarming. Their DualSense controller has a mic built-in and that’s easy to forget if you don’t use the mic often. Thus, out of everything covered here, it’s important that you turn off ‘Voice Data Collection.’ Regardless of what Sony is doing with the voice data, the fewer devices that are listening for long stretches of time in your home the better.