Project Aria Privacy Policy

Last updated April 7, 2023

Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (“Meta Ireland”, “Meta”, “we”, “our” or “us”) provides this notice (“Privacy Notice”) to explain what information is collected, processed, and disclosed as part of Project Aria. Project Aria is a research device that is worn like regular glasses and will help us build the software — including a live map of 3D spaces — and hardware necessary for future Augmented Reality devices. Further information about Project Aria generally can be found at about.Meta.com/realitylabs/projectaria.

This Privacy Notice, including any rights described below, specifically applies to individuals in the area of the operation of Project Aria devices by Meta (“bystanders”, “your”, or “you”), and only to the extent bystanders’ information is incidentally collected from you in connection with Meta’s use of Project Aria. This Privacy Notice does not extend to Meta employees and other individuals authorized to wear the Project Aria device, third-party partners, or to other information we may collect which relates to you, such as information related to your use of other Meta services.

Meta will not attempt to associate information collected from any bystander in connection with Project Aria with any other information that reasonably could be linked, directly or indirectly, with the bystander. Before any information gathered in public by Project Aria is made available to our researchers, it will go through an obfuscation process designed to blur faces and vehicle license plates so that bystanders are not identifiable.

1. What information may be collected?

We may collect the following categories of information about bystanders when bystanders are incidentally recorded by the Aria device (“Collected Data”):

  • Location-related information, including precise Project Aria device location from a GPS receiver and/or Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios in the Project Aria device;
  • Audio and visual information, including photos, videos, and audio recordings; and
  • Internet or other electronic network activity, including information about nearby Wi-Fi access points, beacons, and signal strength.

Separate from the incidentally captured bystander information, we also collect information that you choose to provide, if any (for example, information provided in the context of a data subject rights request).

2. How do we use the Collected Data?

We may use the categories of information collected above to do the following:

  • Research, analyze, develop, test, provide, maintain, and improve the Project Aria device and other Meta products and services, including commercial products and services, and for other internal research, analysis, development, and test purposes;
  • Promote safety, integrity, and security;
  • Conduct and support research and innovation on topics of general social welfare, technological advancement, public interest, health, and well-being; and
  • Respond to legal requests, comply with our legal obligations, or to exercise or defend our legal rights, for example to establish or defend legal claims or as part of legal inquiries or investigations.

3. With whom do we share the Collected Data?

We may share all of the above categories of information with the following categories of recipients:

  • New owners in the event of a change of ownership or control of all or part of our products or their assets;
  • Vendors and service providers who are supporting our business, such as by providing technical infrastructure services or analyzing how our product and services are used;
  • Law enforcement or other third parties in connection with legal requests;
  • Meta Companies; and
  • When we believe it is necessary to: (a) detect, prevent and address fraud, unauthorized use of Meta products and services, violations of our terms or policies, or other harmful or illegal activity; (b) protect ourselves (including our rights or property), you or others, including as part of investigations or regulatory inquiries; or (c) prevent death or imminent bodily harm.

4. What is our legal basis for processing your data?

Legitimate Interests

We rely on our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third-party where they are not outweighed by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms ("legitimate interests"):

Why and How We Process Your Information

We carry out research, analysis, development, and testing of the Project Aria device and other Meta products and services by:

  • Collecting all data captured, recorded, measured or utilised by the Project Aria device.
  • Analysing and researching the Collected Data.

Legitimate Interests Relied On: It is in our interest to improve and develop the Project Aria device and other Meta products and services in an informed way, as well as to continuously develop, maintain and improve the commercial products and services that we provide.

Information Categories Used: Collected Data, as defined in part 1 “What information do we collect about you?”

We promote safety, integrity, and security, in particular, by:

Storing Collected Data on a quarantine server before it is made available to our researchers.

Collected Data goes through the obfuscation process designed to blur faces and vehicle license plates during the quarantine phase.

Legitimate Interests Relied On: It is in our interest and the interests of bystanders in the vicinity of the operation of the Project Aria devices to provide a testing process that respects the privacy of individuals and that prevents unauthorised use of the Collected Data.

Information Categories Used: Collected Data, as defined in part 1 “What information do we collect about you?”

We conduct and support research and innovation on topics of general social welfare, technological advancement, public interest, health, and well-being.

Legitimate Interests Relied On: It is in our interest to further the state of the art or academic understanding on important social issues to impact our society and world in a positive way.

Information Categories Used: Collected Data, as defined in part 1 “What information do we collect about you?”

We share information with others including law enforcement and to respond to legal requests where we are not compelled by applicable law but have a good faith belief it is required by law in the relevant jurisdiction.

Legitimate Interests Relied On: It is in our interest to prevent and address harmful or illegal activity. It is in our interest to protect ourselves (including our rights, personnel, property or products), or others, including as part of investigations or regulatory inquiries; or to prevent death or imminent bodily harm. Relevant law enforcement, government, authorities and industry partners have a legitimate interest in investigating and combating abusive or illegal behaviour.

Information Categories Used: Collected Data, as defined in part 1 “What information do we collect about you?”

We exercise or defend our legal rights, for example to establish or defend legal claims.

Legitimate Interests Relied On: It is in our interest to seek legal advice and protect ourselves (including our rights, personnel, property or products), or others, including as part of investigations or regulatory inquiries and litigation or other disputes.

Information Categories Used: Collected Data, as defined in part 1 “What information do we collect about you?”

Compliance with a legal obligation

Why and How We Process Your Information

Where we comply with a legal obligation including, for example, to access, preserve or disclose certain information if there is a valid legal request from a regulator, law enforcement or others.

Information Categories Used

Collected Data, as defined in part 1 “What information do we collect about you?”

5. Retention of your information

We upload the data from the Project Aria device to a separate, designated storage space and the data will be accessible only to our researchers with approved access. Once uploaded, your information is kept under quarantine for three days meaning that it is not made available to our researchers. During the quarantine period, the information goes through an obfuscation process designed to blur faces and vehicle license plates. The resulting information will be retained for as long as necessary to achieve the purposes described under ‘How do we use your information’.

6. Transferring your information

Meta Ireland shares information globally, both internally within the Meta Companies and externally with its partners. These data transfers are necessary to operate on a global scale.

When we transfer your information outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK, we do so on the basis of an approved transfer mechanism.

We use standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission (and the equivalent standard contractual clauses for the UK, where appropriate) and rely on the European Commission's adequacy decisions about certain countries, as applicable, for data transfers from the EEA to the UK, United States and other countries. Please contact projectaria@fb.com to request a copy of the standard contractual clauses.

7. How can you exercise your rights?

As a data subject, you have the following rights:

  • Access: You have the right to request access to the information about you we collect, use, or disclose;
  • Rectification: You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your information be corrected;
  • Deletion: You have the right to request that we delete certain information that we have collected from you;
  • Objection and restriction: You have the right to object to the processing of your information based on our legitimate interests or those of a third party, as outlined in this Privacy Notice, and we will cease processing your information unless we have a compelling legitimate reason. You also have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your information.

You have the right to lodge a complaint with Meta Ireland’s lead supervisory authority under the GDPR, the Irish Data Protection Commission, or any other competent data protection supervisory authority. If you are located in the United Kingdom, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

In order to exercise your rights, you may speak to one of our employees or other individuals authorised to wear the Project Aria device and make your request. Alternatively, you may contact us at projectaria@fb.com and submit your request. We may ask you to provide additional information, which may include Personal Information, to assist us in responding to your request.

8. Who is the data controller?

The data controller for the processing of your information is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2.

9. Contact Information

If you have any questions or complaints, please email us at projectaria@fb.com or by post at:

Meta Platforms Ireland Limited4 Grand Canal SquareGrand Canal HarbourDublin 2

Contact the Data Protection Officer for Meta Platforms Ireland Limited.

10. Updates to this Privacy Notice

Meta Ireland may make changes to this Privacy Notice from time to time, which will be available here. We will display the “Last Updated” date on those updates so you can check the Privacy Notice for any recent changes.