Editing Virtual reality (section)

===Privacy===
[[Digital privacy]] concerns have been associated with VR platforms;<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goldfarb |first1=Avi |last2=Tucker |first2=Catherine |title=Shifts in Privacy Concerns |journal=American Economic Review |date=May 2012 |volume=102 |issue=3 |pages=349–353 |doi=10.1257/aer.102.3.349 |hdl-access=free |hdl=1721.1/75861}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hong |first1=Weiyin |last2=Thong |first2=James Y. L. |title=Internet Privacy Concerns: An Integrated Conceptualization and Four Empirical Studies |journal=MIS Quarterly |date=2013 |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=275–298 |doi=10.25300/misq/2013/37.1.12 }}</ref> the persistent tracking required by all VR systems makes the technology particularly useful for, and vulnerable to, mass [[surveillance]], including information gathering of personal actions, movements and responses.<ref name="Wired Magic Leap Apr2016" /> Data from eye tracking sensors, which are projected to become a standard feature in virtual reality headsets,<ref name="Rogers 2019">{{cite web | last=Rogers | first=Sol | title=Seven Reasons Why Eye-tracking Will Fundamentally Change VR | website=Forbes | date=2019-02-05 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2019/02/05/seven-reasons-why-eye-tracking-will-fundamentally-change-vr/ | access-date=2020-05-13}}</ref><ref name="Stein 2020">{{cite web | last=Stein | first=Scott | title= Eye tracking is the next phase for VR, ready or not | website=CNET | date=2020-01-31 | url=https://www.cnet.com/news/eye-tracking-is-the-next-phase-for-vr-ready-or-not/ | access-date=2021-04-08}}</ref> may indirectly reveal information about a user's ethnicity, personality traits, fears, emotions, interests, skills, and physical and mental health conditions.<ref name="KrögerLutz2020">{{cite book |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-42504-3_15 |chapter=What Does Your Gaze Reveal About You? On the Privacy Implications of Eye Tracking |title=Privacy and Identity Management. Data for Better Living: AI and Privacy |series=IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology |date=2020 |last1=Kröger |first1=Jacob Leon |last2=Lutz |first2=Otto Hans-Martin |last3=Müller |first3=Florian |volume=576 |pages=226–241 |isbn=978-3-030-42503-6 }}</ref>

The nature of VR technology means that it can gather a wide range of data about its users. This can include obvious information such as usernames and account information, but also extends to more personal data like physical movements, interaction habits, and responses to virtual environments. In addition, advanced VR systems can capture biometric data like voice patterns, eye movements, and physiological responses to VR experiences.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Yuan |title=Empirical Studies on Online Information Privacy Concerns: Literature Review and an Integrative Framework |journal=Communications of the Association for Information Systems |date=2011 |volume=28 |doi=10.17705/1CAIS.02828 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Paine |first1=Carina |last2=Reips |first2=Ulf-Dietrich |last3=Stieger |first3=Stefan |last4=Joinson |first4=Adam |last5=Buchanan |first5=Tom |title=Internet users' perceptions of 'privacy concerns' and 'privacy actions' |journal=International Journal of Human-Computer Studies |date=June 2007 |volume=65 |issue=6 |pages=526–536 |doi=10.1016/j.ijhcs.2006.12.001 |url=http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-286907 }}</ref> Virtual reality technology has grown substantially since its inception, moving from a niche technology to a mainstream consumer product. As the user base has grown, so too has the amount of personal data collected by these systems.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kokolakis |first1=Spyros |title=Privacy attitudes and privacy behaviour: A review of current research on the privacy paradox phenomenon |journal=Computers & Security |date=January 2017 |volume=64 |pages=122–134 |doi=10.1016/j.cose.2015.07.002 }}</ref> This data can be used to improve VR systems, to provide personalized experiences, or to collect demographic information for marketing purposes. However, it also raises significant privacy concerns, especially when this data is stored, shared, or sold without the user's explicit consent.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Heng |last2=Dinev |first2=Tamara |last3=Smith |first3=Jeff |last4=Hart |first4=Paul |title=Information Privacy Concerns: Linking Individual Perceptions with Institutional Privacy Assurances |journal=Journal of the Association for Information Systems |date=December 2011 |volume=12 |issue=12 |pages=798–824 |doi=10.17705/1jais.00281 }}</ref>

Existing data protection and privacy laws like the [[General Data Protection Regulation]] (GDPR) in the EU, and the [[California Consumer Privacy Act]] (CCPA) in the United States, can be applied to VR. These regulations require companies to disclose how they collect and use data, and give users a degree of control over their personal information.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Yuan |title=Empirical Studies on Online Information Privacy Concerns: Literature Review and an Integrative Framework |journal=Communications of the Association for Information Systems |date=2011 |volume=28 |doi=10.17705/1CAIS.02828 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Despite these regulations, enforcing privacy laws in VR can be challenging due to the global nature of the technology and the vast amounts of data collected.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baruh |first1=Lemi |last2=Secinti |first2=Ekin |last3=Cemalcilar |first3=Zeynep |title=Online Privacy Concerns and Privacy Management: A Meta-Analytical Review: Privacy Concerns Meta-Analysis |journal=Journal of Communication |date=February 2017 |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=26–53 |doi=10.1111/jcom.12276 }}</ref> 

Due to its history of privacy issues, the involvement of [[Meta Platforms]] (formerly Facebook, Inc.) in the VR market has led to [[Privacy concerns with Facebook#Oculus and metaverse platforms|privacy concerns specific to its platforms]]. In August 2020, Facebook announced that Oculus products would become subject to the terms of use and privacy policy of the [[Facebook]] social network, and that a Facebook account would be required to use future Oculus headset models, and all existing models (via deprecation of the separate Oculus account system) beginning January 2023. The announcement was criticized for the mandatory integration of Oculus headsets with Facebook data collection and policies (including the [[Facebook real-name policy controversy|Facebook real-name policy]]), and preventing use of the hardware if the user's account is suspended.<ref name=":5">{{cite news |author=Sam Machkovech |title=The Facebookening of Oculus VR becomes more pronounced starting in October |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/08/oculus-vr-accounts-will-soon-require-facebook-ties/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818193931/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/08/oculus-vr-accounts-will-soon-require-facebook-ties/ |archive-date=August 18, 2020 |access-date=August 19, 2020 |publisher=Ars Technica}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Adi |title=Facebook is accidentally locking some users out of their new Oculus headsets |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/15/21518194/oculus-quest-2-headset-facebook-account-suspension-problems |work=The Verge |date=15 October 2020 }}</ref> The following month, Facebook halted the sale of Oculus products in Germany due to concerns from regulators that the new policy was a violation of GDPR.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayden |first=Scott |date=2020-09-02 |title=Facebook Halts Sale of Rift & Quest in Germany Amid Regulatory Concerns |url=https://www.roadtovr.com/facebook-oculus-germany-rift-quest-halted-antitrust/ |access-date=2021-07-28 |website=Road to VR |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, the company would later establish a separate "Meta account" system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Machkovech |first=Sam |date=2022-07-09 |title=Meta removes Facebook account mandate from Quest VR—but is that enough? |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/07/quest-vr-has-traded-facebookening-for-metastasis-with-new-account-system/ |access-date=2022-08-04 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}</ref>

In 2024, researchers from the [[University of Chicago]] demonstrated a [[Vulnerability (computing)|security vulnerability]] in Meta Quest's [[Android (operating system)|Android]]-based system software (leveraging "Developer Mode" to inject an infected [[Mobile app|app]]), allowing them to obtain users' [[login]] credentials and inject false details during [[online banking]] sessions. This attack was considered to be difficult to execute outside of research settings but would make its target vulnerable to risks such as [[phishing]], [[Internet fraud]], and [[Online youth radicalization|grooming]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=VR headsets can be hacked with an Inception-style attack |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/03/11/1089686/hack-vr-headsets-inception/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=MIT Technology Review |language=en}}</ref>