Organizations are increasingly developing or deploying “immersive technologies,” a collection of hardware and software products that substitute, enhance, or alter users’ individual, physical-world experiences. These emerging technologies—which include tools like extended reality (XR), virtual worlds, and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)—have the potential to transform healthcare, education, entertainment, advertising, and other sectors. However, because they often rely on large amounts and kinds of personal, potentially sensitive data, they also raise important privacy and data protection questions. Without safeguards, data about people’s bodies, behaviors, and surrounding environments could be inferred and used to manipulate, discriminate against, or otherwise harm both users and bystanders. FPF works with experts from industry, academia, and civil society to identify the unique privacy and data protection risks in this nascent field, analyze how existing and emerging regulations implicate immersive technologies, and develop best practices and policy recommendations.
Annual DC Privacy Forum: Convening Top Voices in Governance in the Digital Age
FPF hosted its second annual DC Privacy Forum: Governance for Digital Leadership and Innovation on Wednesday, June 11. Staying true to the theme, this year’s forum convened key government, civil society, academic, and corporate privacy leaders for a day of critical discussions on privacy and AI policy. Gathering an audience of over 250 leaders from […]