When "Off" Doesn't Mean Off
According to the specs of the new Nintendo Wii (its new game machine),
"Wii can communicate with the Internet even when the power is turned
off." Nintendo accentuates the positive: "This WiiConnect24 service
delivers a new surprise or game update, even if users do not play with
Wii," while ignoring the possibility that Nintendo can deactivate a
game if it chooses to do so, or that someone else can deliver a
different -- not so wanted -- surprise.
We all know that, but what's interesting here is that Nintendo is
changing the meaning of the word "off." We are all conditioned to
believe that "off" means off, and therefore safe. But in Nintendo's
case, "off" really means something like "on standby." If users expect
the Nintendo Wii to be truly off, they need to pull the power plug --
assuming there isn't a battery foiling that tactic. There seems to be
no way to disconnect the Internet, as the Nintendo Wii is wireless only.
Maybe there is no way to turn the Nintendo Wii off.
There's a serious security problem here, made worse by a bad user
interface. "Off" should mean off.
http://wii.nintendo.com/hardware.html