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.
Organizations must lead with privacy and ethics when researching and implementing neurotechnology: FPF and IBM Live event and report release
A New FPF and IBM Report and Live Event Explores Questions About Transparency, Consent, Security, and Accuracy of Data The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and the IBM Policy Lab released recommendations for promoting privacy and mitigating risks associated with neurotechnology, specifically with brain-computer interface (BCI). The new report provides developers and policymakers with actionable […]
FPF Report Outlines Opportunities to Mitigate the Privacy Risks of AR & VR Technologies
A new report from the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), Augmented Reality + Virtual Reality: Privacy & Autonomy Considerations in Emerging, Immersive Digital Worlds, provides recommendations to address the privacy risks of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The vast amount of sensitive personal information collected by AR and VR technologies creates serious risks […]