Meta unveiled its new premium virtual reality headset at the recent Meta Connect event, and the $1,500 device is absolutely brimming with cameras. Some of those cameras are aimed at the user, which will allow future metaverse avatars to replicate your emotions. It turns out they’ll also help Meta know which ads you’re looking at. This advertising engagement signal could become a core (and creepy) part of the company’s Horizon Worlds metaverse.
The Meta Quest Pro has a total of sixteen cameras, which is no doubt a major component of the high price tag. There are ten cameras on the headset itself, along with three on each of the controllers (replacing the sensor rings on older headsets). Five of the cameras on the headset are pointed inward at the wearer to collect data about your expressions and, importantly, where you’re looking.
There are legitimate reasons that a metaverse experience, as envisioned by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, might benefit from eye tracking. For instance, instead of staring blankly into the distance, your avatar could actually maintain eye contact with other avatars. However, the company has updated its privacy policy in the wake of the Quest Pro announcement with an ominous section titled “Eye Tracking Privacy Notice.” The document says that eye-tracking data can be used to “personalize your experience,” which is universally understood to be code for targeted ads. Meta’s Nick Clegg has even confirmed this is what the company has in mind, telling the Financial Times the eye-tracking data will help Meta understand whether people are engaging with ads.
The possibilities definitely veer into Black Mirror territory. Imagine you want to access ad-supported content, but you can’t bypass the ad until you look at it and “engage.” The things you look at could also feed into an algorithm that alters your experience, and we know that, at a certain level, eye movements are subconscious. Could that make Meta’s advertising algorithms akin to mind reading? I sure don’t want to find out.
The current version of Horizon Worlds doesn’t have ads. So far, the only monetization in Horizon is the ability to sell digital goods, but it seems inevitable a company like Meta that relies on targeted ads will eventually change that. The Quest Pro and future VR headsets from the company will be ready to take advantage of that.
Now read:
