Concerns over privacy in VR headsets continues to snowball. Since the launch of the Oculus Rift earlier this month, the Internet has done its due diligence and proffered evidence that Oculus isn't sharing user information with Facebook or other companies yet, although Oculus admitted that it might in the future.
Yesterday, US Senator Al Franken wrote a letter to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe requesting details on how Rift collects, stores, and shares user data.
"I believe Americans have a fundamental right to privacy, and that right includes an individual s access to information about what data are being collected about them, how the data are being treated, and with whom the data are being shared," Senator Franken wrote in his letter.
Senator Franken's letter doesn't seem designed to stir up anxiety around VR or other technology. On the contrary, he showed a good deal of genuine interest in the marketplace, and asked pointed to which Oculus should be compelled to provide answers. Senator Franken elaborated on his concerns in the form of six questions spanning topics such as whether it's necessary for Oculus to gather certain data, how long Oculus will retain user data, who is responsible for keeping users informed of how their data is, or may be, used, and what precautions Oculus has in place to safeguard user info.
In an effort to garner answers quickly, Senator Franken gave Iribe until May 13 to respond to his questions.
I'm usually leery of Uncle Sam sticking his nose into games and technology. Just ask Apple CEO Tim Cook for his opinions on how that can go sideways. However, Senator Franken asked intelligent questions in his letter, and anybody remotely interested in VR should want clear, cogent responses to them.
Technology has long since progressed past a point where users are giving companies information tacitly. The more we know about how companies like Oculus and HTC are using—and more importantly, plan to use—our information when we strap on their headset for an activity as innocuous as playing a game, the more informed we can be as consumers, and the more open and honest developers and manufacturers will have to be in turn.
from Shacknews Recent Articles http://ift.tt/1RWjvlB
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