Safety and Privacy in Immersive Extended Reality: An Analysis and Policy Recommendations

Extended reality (XR) technologies have seen cycles of progress and decline over decades but are steadily gaining traction.

Overview

Authors: Emmie Hine, Isadora Neroni Rezende, Huw Roberts, David Wong, Mariarosaria Taddeo & Luciano Floridi

Publication Date: 3 July 2024

Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44206-024-00114-1

Keywords: Extended reality (XR), virtual reaity, augment reality, European Union, digital governance, prviacy risks, safety concerns, future of xr governance

Type: Peer-Reviewed Journals/White Papers

Summary

Extended reality (XR) technologies have seen cycles of progress and decline over decades but are steadily gaining traction. Immersive extended reality (IXR), encompassing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), has become increasingly widespread in recent years. As the European Union (EU) considers regulating these technologies, this article examines safety and privacy risks associated with IXR, evaluates the extent to which existing EU digital governance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, Product Safety Legislation, ePrivacy Directive, Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, and AI Act) address these issues, and offers recommendations to close regulatory gaps and enhance IXR governance.