VR Privacy Policy

Should VR systems have a privacy policy of their own?

In general, it is hard to say what data is our “private data” and what is not. Some of them are easy to say, e.g., name, email, age, gender, etc. However, we generate a lot of data, and those can be used to identify us or leak information about us. For example, our DNS data can be used to identify our browsing habits. So, do I think we need a specialized privacy policy for VR users? Well, my answer is No.

I think the best approach is to instead of introducing specialized privacy policies for every possible kind of tech. We should have a general privacy policy that prohibits all kinds of data sharing and storage when the user generates the data. People can then agree to the privacy policy of the product if the company needs more data. These privacy policies should also come with a table that states every kind of telemetry that they collect. This makes the whole process crystal clear to the users. Additionally, these privacy policies should be optional, meaning that the user should be able to use the device even though they have not agreed to this optional privacy policy of the product.

So why not? As I mentioned earlier, I think the need for a public policy that prohibits data collection surpasses the need for specialized privacy policies. With a general privacy policy, we don’t need a specialized one for VR users.

What about other aspects of a VR system? I think thus far, I have addressed the privacy issues of such systems. Safety-wise, I don’t think we need a privacy policy but something like a federal law that forces safety options on device makers. Regarding the social issues of VR systems, I think we should educate people about the bad effects of long-term VR systems usage. I’m generally against forcing people’s behavior, as in my experience, it always results in people opposing it. Lastly, I believe we should not limit what people can experience in a virtual environment. Still, we need to have a rating system that prevents young people from accessing content that is not suitable for them at their age. This is in direct contrast to my last statement. Still, the reality is that even though rating systems in movies and music industry are not preventing young people from accessing adult content, it helps a lot.