• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Techdata privacy

Sen. Al Franken Takes Aim at Oculus Rift Privacy Policies

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 8, 2016, 9:39 AM ET
#RefugeesWelcome Washington DC Dinner
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 09: Senator Al Franken (D-MN) appears at a #RefugeesWelcome Dinner on December 9, 2015 in Washington DC. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images for MoveOn.org)Photograph by Larry French — Getty Images

Online concerns about the Oculus Rift’s Terms of Service have made their way to the Capitol.

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) sent a letter Thursday to Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, seeking clarification on how the Facebook-owned company collects and intends to use personal data.

That comes after online forums and media outlets have noted that Rift owners, before strapping the VR headset on, must agree to a number of unusual stipulations, including Oculus reserving the right to collect user physical movement and locational data and all activity on Oculus-hosted servers. The terms also suggest that all data collected by the Rift could possibly be shared with Facebook (FB).

That’s enough to spur action by Franken, a noted privacy rights advocate. In his two-page letter, he asked Iribe to be much more specific about what data is being collected and how it’s being used.

“I appreciate that Oculus’ privacy policy provides detailed information about what data are collected, when they are collected, and with which companies they are being shared,” he wrote. “However, questions remain regarding Oculus’ data collection of certain types of information and Oculus’ relationships with third parties.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Over six questions, Franken asks how user data such as location, communications, and physical movement are being used and what precautions are being taken by the company to protect this data. He also inquires about how long Oculus plans to store the information and whether it’s being sold to third parties.

 

 

And while Franken doesn’t name Facebook directly, he asks pointed questions about data sharing between Oculus and its “related companies.”

Also not included in Franken’s note or other conversations about the terms of service are how they might impact Samsung’s Gear VR, a product that uses Oculus technology. Gear VR is a very basic headset compared with Rift—and all content comes through Samsung phones via an app. What’s not clear is what information is shared with Oculus and how that information is used.

For more on privacy, watch: [fortune-brightcove videoid=4834098711001]

While the Rift’s Terms of Service are in the spotlight, HTC’s (HTC) Vive has largely escaped scrutiny. That’s, in part, because most software sales are coming from Valve’s Steam digital distribution system. And Valve’s privacy policy clearly states the company “will not share any personally identifiable information with third parties for marketing purposes without your consent.”

HTC has its own “Home” hub for Vive users, but it’s neither heavily promoted, nor seemingly frequently used (or even installed) by the limited number of people who currently own a Vive. (The company has not posted a Vive-specific terms of service or privacy policy on its website.)

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
'I meant what I said in Davos': Carney says he really is planning a Canada split with the U.S. along with 12 new trade deals
By Rob Gillies and The Associated PressJanuary 28, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
The American taxpayer spent nearly half a billion dollars deploying federal troops to U.S. cities in 2025, CBO finds
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 28, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Right before Trump named Warsh to lead the Fed, Powell seemed to respond to some of his biggest complaints about the central bank
By Jason MaJanuary 30, 2026
15 hours ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Fortune 500 CEOs are no longer giving employees an A for effort. Now they want proof of impact
By Claire ZillmanJanuary 28, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Jeff Bezos capped his Amazon salary at $80,000: ‘How could I possibly need more incentive?’
By Sydney LakeJanuary 28, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Top engineers at Anthropic, OpenAI say AI now writes 100% of their code—with big implications for the future of software development jobs
By Beatrice NolanJanuary 29, 2026
2 days ago

Latest in Tech

In this handout, the mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019.
PoliticsJeffrey Epstein
Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein emailed each other for years trying to meet up, new Justice Department records show
By Eva Roytburg and Sasha RogelbergJanuary 30, 2026
8 hours ago
Big TechThe Boring Company
After a decade of silence, Elon Musk’s tunneling startup and its reclusive president, are hitting the media circuit
By Jessica MathewsJanuary 30, 2026
11 hours ago
MagazineEducation
The 1966 cover of Fortune Magazine welcomed the Information age. Now the AI era beckons
By Indrani SenJanuary 30, 2026
12 hours ago
Gamestop
Big TechGameStop
Five years after the short squeeze, GameStop’s CEO is betting on a ‘genius or totally foolish’ $100 billion-plus acquisition
By Jake AngeloJanuary 30, 2026
13 hours ago
C-SuitePharmaceutical Industry
‘We’ll save the world from cancer’: Inside Pfizer CEO’s $23 billion post‑COVID bet on oncology
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 30, 2026
15 hours ago
Sam Altman speaking into a mic.
AIOpenAI
A reported OpenAI IPO later this year may test investor tolerance for the AI boom’s cash bonfire
By Beatrice NolanJanuary 30, 2026
16 hours ago