A growing number of organizations are developing “immersive technologies,” a collection of hardware and software products that substitute, enhance, or alter users’ individual, physical-world experiences. These emerging technologies—which include virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and some brain-computer interfaces (BCIs)—have the potential to transform entertainment, education, healthcare, advertising, and other business sectors. However, they also raise important privacy and data protection questions.
Immersive technologies are powered by numerous sensors, large volumes and varieties of data, and various algorithms and automated systems. Many immersive technologies must collect and use intimate, sensitive data about users and their environments in order to function. Without safeguards, this data could be used to manipulate, discriminate against, and make adverse decisions about both users and bystanders. FPF works with experts from industry, academia, and civil society to identify the privacy and data protection risks in this nascent field, analyze how these technologies are implicated by existing and emerging regulations, 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 […]