Meta to collect “anonymized” data from Quest headsets
Meta has announced its plan to start collecting anonymized data from users of its Quest virtual reality (VR) headsets. This initiative aims to aggregate various types of information including hand, body, and eye tracking data, camera details, insights into users’ physical environments, and activities within virtual reality events. The company assures that this data collection, which will commence with the upcoming software update, is intended to enhance user experiences and improve Meta Quest products for everyone.
The data to be collected is outlined in the Supplemental Meta Platforms Technologies Privacy Policy, which was updated last October. It encompasses a wide range of personal information from the headset, such as audio data for animating avatars, fitness-related information, dimensions of the physical environment, voice interactions, and details about virtual reality activities. Meta emphasizes that this data, used to analyze device performance and reliability, will be anonymized to ensure it does not identify individual users.
However, Meta’s move has sparked privacy concerns, particularly in light of past instances where “anonymized” data was linked back to identifiable personal information. The company’s data collection practices have been under scrutiny for years, with controversies dating back to the early days of Oculus, its VR division. These concerns were amplified by the requirement for Oculus users to migrate to Facebook accounts in 2020, leading to a temporary halt in Oculus headset sales in Germany. Although Meta has since allowed users to decouple VR and social media accounts, the new data collection policies do not seem to offer an opt-out option for Quest users, raising questions about user consent and data protection under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
As EU privacy laws continue to evolve, Meta’s latest data collection initiative serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in balancing technological innovation with the need to protect individual privacy rights. It highlights the importance of transparency, user consent, and the ability to opt-out as fundamental principles under GDPR. As such, both users and regulators will likely keep a close watch on how Meta implements these policies and ensures compliance with privacy regulations.
Source: Meta will start collecting “anonymized” data about Quest headset usage
