Meta Quest Pro VR users need almost five hours to read its privacy policy: report

Mozilla researchers estimated the material would take around four hours and fifty minutes to read in full

November 16, 2022 04:08 pm | Updated February 01, 2023 02:01 pm IST

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Mozilla researchers have found that it would take hours to go through the privacy policy for Facebook-parent Meta’s newly launched Quest Pro VR headset.

In Mozilla’s 2022 ‘Privacy Not Included’ guide, released on Wednesday, researchers note that Big Tech companies like Meta, Verizon, and Amazon release lengthy privacy policies for their devices. Some of the documents run for tens of thousands of words.

“Indeed, to read all the privacy documents associated with just the Meta Quest Pro, you would need to open at least 14 browser tabs to make sense of documents amassing 37,700 words,” Mozilla said.

The documents covered Meta’s privacy policies, user safety, hand/face/eye tracking privacy policies, terms of service, data sharing, and more.

Mozilla researchers estimated the material would take roughly four hours and fifty minutes to read in full.

One researcher also flagged the Amazon Echo Dot and the Google Pixel Watch for including more than one privacy policy.

Mozilla’s release suggested that the tiring volume of documents could be used to coax users into quickly agreeing to all the stated terms, in order to collect their data and sell it to external parties.

“The Meta Quest Pro brings 16 cameras into your house — and on your body! — courtesy of a company known for betraying users’ trust and privacy,” stated the release.

Retailing at $1,499.99 on the Meta website, the Facebook parent described its Quest Pro VR headset as its “most advanced” yet.

The headset was released on October 25 this year.

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