Meta VR Privacy
Privacy features for the Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 3
/ Background
At Meta Reality Labs, I led product design work across our Privacy, Security, Safety, Accessibility, and Equity teams.
As part of our privacy work, I helped develop privacy controls for VR devices that have both internal- and external-facing cameras, face tracking, and other telemetry data.
/ Role
Product Design Manager, Meta Reality Labs Trust
/ Year
2022 - 2023
Video: Social presence in VR with face tracking
Product Goals
Educate users about the new kinds of cameras and sensors
Ensure that users had enough information about the new kinds of sensors on their devices to make informed decisions about their settings.
Remind users in context when novel sensors may be used
Give contextual privacy reminders when novel sensors will impact the user experience.
Enable users to maintain control over their data and privacy
Ensure the privacy settings we offer match user's expectations and needs.
In onboarding, users are taught about VR privacy concepts and are given privacy profile options to alleviate complexity. User can then customize their profiles for even more control.
Horizon Worlds, Meta's social VR service, lets users interact with each other in a VR environment. This poses some privacy challenges that are similar to existing social media apps, but also creates new challenges.
Product Responsibility Considerations
Discoverability
Users need to understand how they might be discovered in search and in social VR so they can choose the right settings for their needs.
Data display
Users need to understand what information about them will be visible to other users. These include things like name, location, linked social media accounts, and age.
Face tracking display
Because the Meta Quest Pro can track facial movements and translate them into what their VR avatar displays, users need to be aware of how others can see their facial expressions.
Cross-app data sharing
Users worry about other Meta services, like Facebook and Instagram, using their VR data for ad tracking or other cross-app data sharing.
We integrated VR privacy into the new Meta Privacy Center to ensure users understand privacy concepts in VR, how to control their information, and how to turn on or off cross-app data sharing.
Image: App Privacy Settings in Meta QUest VR
Image: Developer Settings in Meta QUest VR
