Oculus can freely use your content, tracks you while using Rift

Oculus is slowly but steadily sending Rift headsets out to early adopters, but they might want to read the terms of service before jumping in.

Most concerning perhaps, is that the Facebook-owned company is free to utilise your user-generated content in any way it sees fit.

“By submitting User Content through the Services, you grant Oculus a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual (i.e. lasting forever), non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free and fully sublicensable (i.e. we can grant this right to others) right to use, copy, display, store, adapt, publicly perform and distribute such User Content in connection with the Services,” reads the relevant excerpt.

“You irrevocably consent to any and all acts or omissions by us or persons authorised by us that may infringe any moral right (or analogous right) in your User Content,” it adds.

Data collection everywhere

Being a Facebook-owned company, Oculus has also stepped up its tracking capabilities, detailing this in its privacy policy.

Some of the information automatically collected by Oculus includes IP addresses (along with associated location data) and information about your system.

You aren’t safe when wearing the Rift either, as the company collects “information about your physical movements and dimensions when you use a virtual reality headset”.

Oculus also notes that it may combine data collected while using the Rift headset with data collected from Facebook itself. In other words, if you thought Facebook’s data-collection policies were concerning, Oculus seems to double down on the fun.

What is Oculus using this information for?

Oculus claims that it’s collecting the data to analyse feedback, identify and address technical problems, conduct research and to improve third-party services.

Unsurprisingly, the company also admits that it’s collecting information for marketing purposes.

“We use the information we collect to send you promotional messages and content and otherwise market to you on and off our Services. We also use this information to measure how users respond to our marketing efforts,” the company explained.

These policies serve as a stark reminder of the world we live in today, but has the Oculus approach gone too far?