Oculus VR responds to privacy concerns

Oculus VR has responded to privacy concerns surrounding the terms and conditions for its software - without which its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset simply won't work - by denying any information sharing with owner Facebook.

When the Oculus Rift Consumer Version 1 (CV1) hardware launched, it came with a new set of software from Oculus VR. This software included a lengthy end-user licence agreement, acceptance of which is a condition of using the software - and by extension the hardware driven by said software. Many users raised concerns about the potential privacy implications of certain sections of boilerplate - including the possibility that Oculus VR would transfer personal information, including the software you use and how you interact with environments and objects within virtual reality, to its corporate overlord Facebook for marketing purposes.

Speaking to UploadVR, Oculus VR has played down these concerns - beginning with a blanket denial that any data is being shared with Facebook. 'Facebook owns Oculus and helps run some Oculus services, such as elements of our infrastructure,' a spokesperson told the site, 'but we’re not sharing information with Facebook at this time. We don’t have advertising yet and Facebook is not using Oculus data for advertising - though these are things we may consider in the future.'

The company also defended the information it gathers on its users, stating that 'one thing we may do is use information to improve our services and to make sure everything is working properly — such as checking device stability and addressing technical issues to improve the overall experience.'