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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?
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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.
I don't think that means what you think it means.
"Facebook" occulous rift.. wtf did that happen..
July, 2014
https://games.slashdot.org/sto...
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/...
http://www.theguardian.com/tec...
He's talking about the Gear VR, which is actually an Oculus product (though sold by Samsung):
https://www.oculus.com/en-us/g...
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Even better when people start disabling this background service only to later find their expensive toy no longer works thanks to this always on DRM.
Someone signed up for Facebook is surprised that Facebook collects and sells their personal data? Really?
LMFTFY: Someone who bought a virtual reality device is surprised to find that Facebook is collecting an selling their personal data. Really.
You didn't read even the first line of the summary: "It turns out when you install the software to run Facebook's Oculus Rift" [emphasis mine]. It's a Facebook product. If I buy a Honeywell thermostat with WiFi that provides thermostat access via the cloud, I would expect it to be in frequent contact with Honeywell's servers. Similarly, I would have every expectation that a Facebook VR set would contact Facebook's servers.
The real questions anyone should have are "what data do they collect, how do they use it, who do they share it with, and how long do they store it?" Given that it's Facebook, I'm guessing the answers are: "every single byte; to build a better model of their customers to better market to them, and to match people with their personal network; they share it with everyone, warrant or not; and forever".
John
This is precisely why I lost all interest in Oculus the instant I heard that it had been acquired by Facebook.
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