Mario Kart Live Home Circuit

Last year after Nintendo released their mixed reality game Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit it raised some privacy concerns. The game uses a real-life car to play and that car drives around your home, mapping it and taking pictures. Privacy watchdog Access Now called on Nintendo to clearly state what data the game collects and how it will protect the privacy of gamers who play this game. Here is Nintendo's response to Access Now's privacy concerns: “Nintendo knows that privacy is very important to its customers and takes its responsibility to protect customer information seriously. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit does not create detailed maps of users’ homes, nor does it collect or process information about a user’s location, home or surroundings. Any other reports that describe the technology as collecting this or similar information are incorrect.”

Nintendo does a pretty good job with privacy, security, and parental controls. They did have a data breach in 2020 where 300,000 accounts were compromised and attackers gained access to users personal information, including date of birth and email addresses.

It’s also good to be aware that while Nintendo doesn't sell your data to third parties, they do say they can share your data with some third parties for things such as advertising, which is pretty normal. They also say they may collect information about you from other sources, including sources that sell information. And if you log into your social media through your Nintendo, they say they may collect information from these third parties. Finally, some of the games you play on the Switch made by other companies might be collecting and sharing your data, so keep an eye on that. It’s always good to opt out of data sharing when you can. All in all, we’re not too worried about the privacy of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, so race away.