XR

Safe and Secure VR: Policy Issues Impacting Kids’ Use of Immersive Tech

Safe and Secure VR: Policy Issues Impacting Kids’ Use of Immersive Tech

After Oculus Quest commercials blanketed the airwaves before the holidays, a number of folks at Common Sense Media raised concerns about Facebook’s take on virtual reality. I decided to seize on this interest to offer up some thoughts on how to improve virtual reality for kids, putting out a short paper: Safe and Secure VR: Policy Issues Impacting Kids’ Use of Immersive Tech.

To guide tech companies’ decisions as they create immersive content aimed at kids, I suggest several ways to ensure kids experience these technologies in a safe, secure, and responsible environment, including:

  1. Parental controls should be effective and account for the unique features of VR games, such as its immersive nature. For example, providing clear time-limit mechanisms to prevent overuse.
  2. VR platforms must create safer virtual environments. We need a strong set of standards for rating and moderating VR experiences so families can choose what is appropriate for their children.
  3. Companies must step up their protection of kids’ data, especially because immersive tech like VR requires the collection of so much sensitive behavioral information.

A number of colleagues and VR enthusiasts offered feedback, and I remain thankful to Lindsey Barrett, Mary Berk, Jon Brescia, Jeff Haynes, Girard Kelly, Joe Newman, and Jenny Radesky for their thoughtful feedback — and willingness to read the paper.

// Download the full paper here. 

ITIF: How to Balance Privacy and Innovation in Augmented and Virtual Reality

ITIF: How to Balance Privacy and Innovation in Augmented and Virtual Reality

In the wake of my white paper on the implications of virtual reality for kids, I joined a panel hosted by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation to discuss the privacy risks posed by AR/VR, what XR companies can do to mitigate these concerns, and how existing law and regulation impact immersive technologies. I’ve been longtime fan of Brian Wassom and Brittan Heller, and it was a lot of fun to talk immersive tech with them:

Project Aria and Mapping Augmented Reality

Project Aria and Mapping Augmented Reality

On the heels of Facebook’s announcement that Reality Labs would be deploying smart glasses to both assist in mapping and create “digital twin” of the real world:

Maps hold tremendous power. They not only help people navigate the world, but they also establish boundaries and shape our perceptions. Mapping technology is equally important. Global navigation systems are military assets, and Apple publicly apologized for the shaky launch of its mapping app in 2012. We have gotten used to mapping roads, but AR changes the game by encouraging us to map every square foot of space on the planet.

// Read the piece at Slate here. 

Some Initial Ideas on Improving Privacy in AR, VR, and XR

The time to begin developing XR privacy guidelines and controls is now. Growing numbers of consumers are worried about how data collected via VR headsets and AR apps are used, and privacy compliance has emerged as the top legal risk impacting XR companies. XR industry surveys have found that companies are more concerned with consumer privacy and data security than product liability, health and safety, or intellectual property.

In this post for IAPP’s Privacy Perspectives, I offer some initial areas that should be top of mind. As a privacy advocate and XR enthusiast, I suggest there’s a real need for AR/VR platforms and developers to (1) improve transparency and begin making XR-specific data disclosures, (2) embrace transparency reporting and technical solutions to restrain data sharing, and (3) commit to diversity and inclusion.

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