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Oculus 'Always On' Services and Privacy Policy May Be a Cause for Concern (uploadvr.com)

Will Mason, reporting for Upload VR: It turns out when you install the software to run Facebook's Oculus Rift, it creates a process with full system permissions called "VRServer_x64.exe." This process is always on, and regularly sends updates back to Facebook's servers. The process' main purpose is to help detect when the Rift is turned on and on your face so that it can launch Oculus Home, but the further reaching implications of it are potentially much more salacious. Digging into the Oculus Rift's Privacy Policy reveals that Facebook is not the only company that is able to collect your data, as under the policy "third parties may also collect information about you through the Services," this includes entities on the "related companies" list. The company plans to utilize your data to, among other things, "market to you." Surprised?

4 of 96 comments (clear)

  1. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  2. wait, what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Someone signed up for Facebook is surprised that Facebook collects and sells their personal data? Really? That is literally how they make their money. It is the business they are in.

    By now it is well known: if you don't want that kind of harvesting, you don't use Facebook. That means: blocking their address blocks in your firewall, so you don't load their "like" buttons and you don't use their services in any way. You most certainly don't run their software on your machine! If you do that, well, yeah... you get what you deserve.

    If you are making a decision to use their services, whether Occulus or anything else, fine, that's your call! But don't complain when they do exactly what they told you they were going to do.

    1. Re:wait, what? by spire3661 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When i buy an asus monitor, i dont expect to have to install software so it can call home. HMDs are very fancy monitors and should be treated as such.

      --
      Good-bye
  3. DO NOT BUY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The solution is simple. Do not buy this shit. And, tell your less technical friends. They are actively hostile to their would-be consumers. Just don't fucking buy it. In fact, outright spread the word that Occulus=scum.