Washington D.C. – On April 7, XRA filed a response to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s RFI to inform a comprehensive privacy and security framework. The RFI followed the committee’s establishment of a privacy task force to address the need to replace the current patchwork of state laws, especially in light of the fast pace of technological advancement.
XRA’s comment urges Congress to develop a flexible, innovation-friendly framework that allows for incremental advancements in privacy engineering while ensuring strong consumer protections.
“While still an emerging technology, immersive technology (XR) is already driving innovation in healthcare, education, manufacturing, public safety, urban planning, and other sectors. To fully realize its transformational potential, XR requires flexible, innovation-friendly policies that allow incremental advancements in privacy engineering while ensuring strong consumer protections,” said XRA’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy, Joan O’Hara. “To create an immersive experience, XR technology may collect spatial and location data, body-based and biometric data, and voice data. Collection of this data raises unique privacy considerations that the industry is proactively addressing. A comprehensive federal data privacy framework should recognize these industry efforts, providing regulatory clarity without hindering further innovation,” said O’Hara.
XRA’s comment outlined actionable recommendations on how Congress can achieve a balance between emerging technology development and critical privacy protections including data minimization, clearly-defined roles and responsibilities, and prioritization of remediation and compliance assistance over default punitive measures. The comment concludes by encouraging lawmakers to work in collaboration with the XR industry to develop a privacy and security framework that allows immersive technology to flourish in the ethical and responsible way that all stakeholders value.
