[ISEA2019] Paper: Alejandro Rodriguez & Tomas Laurenzo — Privacy in the age of Mobile XR

Abstract

Keywords: XR, Mixed reality, surveillance, privacy, biometrics, altered reality, mediated reality, virtual reality.

Surveillance capitalism is a model based on the commoditization of customers’ information, with the consequent impact on their privacy, and opening the door to large-scale social manipulation. This has brought the weaponization of social media [2], where invisible actors can harm the public interest using personal information, profiling and exposing groups or individuals, and manipulating the social narrative in sophisticated manners.
XR (mixed or extended reality) is a group of technologies including Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Telepresence, among others. These technologies rely on a growing number of sensors that allow for an extreme deepening of the existing surveillance. This paper analyzes the potential social impact of XR, as well as proposing strategies aiming at safeguarding users’ privacy.

  • Alejandro Rodriguez is an architect and designer. Independent researcher, Hong Kong.  With a vast experience in virtual reality, software production, and rapid fabrication, Alejandro also has an unparalleled trajectory planning and directing massive live shows involving cutting-edge technology, including spatial augmented reality, control, and robotics.
  • Tomas Laurenzo, PhD, is an artist, computer scientist, and academic working with both physical and digital media. His work explores the artistic construction of meaning and its relation with power and politics. Laurenzo’s production spans across different practices, including installation, interactive art, music, live cinema, creative machine learning, and digital lutherie. His artworks and performances have been shown globally. He is Assistant Professor at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong and has published extensively in the areas of New Media Art, and HCI

Full text (PDF) p. 408-412

The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. CityU 11674416