Al Franken Vs. Facebook? Senator Grills Oculus CEO Over Privacy Policy
Facebook-owned Oculus is in hot water today, after Minnesota Senator Al Franken expressed concerns over the VR company’s privacy policy. Yesterday, Senator Al Franken sent a strongly-worded letter to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, requesting clarification of the company’s extensive privacy policy.
Senator Al Franken’s letter comes after dozens of online forums and media outlets have questioned the Oculus’ somewhat unusual privacy policy – which stipulates that Oculus can collect data on users’ physical movements, as well as all activity on Oculus-hosted servers. The privacy concerns include fears that the private data from Oculus might be shared with Facebook, Oculus’ parent company. Fortune reports that Franken’s letter was sent on Thursday.
Sen. Franken wants to know what Oculus is doing with its Rift user data: Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has some qu… https://t.co/sn1aw27Mow
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Al Franken, an outspoken advocate for consumer privacy wrote a two-page letter to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, asking the CEO to clarify the company’s privacy policy and fully explain just what Oculus intends to do with all the data it will gather from users of the company’s VR headset, the Oculus Rift.
“I appreciate that Oculus’ privacy policy provides detailed information about what data are collected, when they are being collected and with which companies they are being shared. However questions remain regarding Oculus’ data collection of certain types of information and Oculus’ relationships with third parties,” reads the letter from Senator Al Franken to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe.
The two-page letter from Al Franken to the Oculus CEO outlines the senator’s concerns in six pointed questions. Franken asks how user data – including location and physical movements – are stored, and what the data is being used for, and perhaps most importantly, Franken questioned the Oculus CEO about the precautions the company is taking to safeguard that sensitive data.
Additionally, Senator Al Franken asked Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe about whether or not the data collected by the Oculus Rift will be shared with, or sold to, third parties – including Facebook.
“Oculus has stated that it automatically collects users’ physical movements and dimensions. Is this collection necessary for Oculus to provide services, are there any other purposes for which Oculus collects this information?” Senator Al Franken asks in his letter to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe.
The letter doesn’t name Facebook directly, but refers to Oculus’ “related companies” in quotes, and Franken asks very pointed questions about the relationship with outside companies that Oculus might have and whether or not the data Oculus gathers will be shared with any third party at all.
“Does Oculus share this information with third parties, including ‘related companies’ for any other purpose than the provision of services?” Senator Al Franken asks in his letter to the Oculus CEO.
According to Engadget, Oculus has yet to comment on the letter, or to publicly address the concerns over the company’s cryptic privacy policy. But, according to Ars Technica, the Oculus privacy policy isn’t too far outside of what other companies require their users to agree to – aside from collecting information on their users’ physical movements. Some of the privacy concerns over the Oculus privacy policy arose in part because the device doesn’t really ever turn itself off, unless it’s unplugged.
Senator Al Franken wants answers from Oculus about its privacy policy: https://t.co/N0KKKgpm99 pic.twitter.com/UAGrBEOsfd
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Engadget speculates that Oculus might address some of the concerns in the Al Franken letter by adding a “privacy mode” to the headset, which would prevent the VR headset from collecting user data while it’s in “privacy mode.”
“I believe Americans have a fundamental right to privacy, and that right includes an individual’s access to information about what data are being collected about them, how the data are being treated and with whom the data are being shared,” wrote Senator Al Franken in his two-page letter to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe.
[Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]
