One
in 20 is a pirate
Microsoft has banned more than a million players from its 20 million-strong
Xbox Live gaming service. The move, which effects one in every 20 Windows Live
users, comes about because Redmond is convinced the users have modified their
consoles to play games illegally downloaded from file-sharing sites.
In a statement Microsoft said that all consumers should
know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play
pirated discs violates the Xbox Live terms of use. This voids their warranty, and will result in a ban from
Xbox Live.
Xbox 360 consoles are equipped with digital-rights
management, or DRM, technologies that can detect pirated software, but some
players have managed to modify their machines to circumvent the protections.
It is not clear how Microsoft uncovered the users'
modifications or how accurate it has been on detected the mods.