According to an email obtained by Kotaku, Microsoft and VMC Games, a company that provides testing services with contractors, sent messages to users who leaked information about the upcoming remake informing them that they are banned from Xbox Live and their consoles are now unusable. The relevant passage from the email, which was sent by VMC, is as follows:
Now, new wording is about to reach the community regarding this particular event. The nature of the leak having had occurred through Xbox One, actually also went against the Microsoft EULA, which is agreed upon when creating an Xbox LIVE account, or any other type of Microsoft account. This being said, as per that agreement with the testers in fault, Microsoft also permanently disabled their Xbox LIVE accounts (as well as other suspected accounts present on their Xbox One kits) and temporarily blocked all of their Xbox One privileges – meaning that for a period of time which Microsoft decides on depending on the severity of the offense, their Xbox One is entirely unusable.
In the previous console generation, Microsoft was known for banning the accounts and online capabilities of hackers and cheaters, though it wasn't capable of making a console "entirely unusable." Kotaku claims that the leakers in question stated their Xbox One consoles are their personal versions and not debug or development consoles.
The revelation that Microsoft can essentially press a button to brick a console comes after the company received a public evisceration when it revealed its original digital rights policies for Xbox One, which included an Internet connection requirement for verifying games. The company later changed the policies following the immense backlash.
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Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-is-forcing-leakers-xbox-one-consoles-to-become-entirely-unusable
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