Innovative by nature. Responsible by design.
We believe in responsible innovation.
All of our work begins with our responsible innovation principles. They’re designed to keep our responsibility to protect people’s privacy at the forefront, so you can feel empowered to explore, connect and engage with our products.
Meta hardware is built by centering the devices around people. That's what makes Meta, Meta.
In Earnest: A roundtable discussion
Privacy and responsible innovation in augmented and virtual reality requires open and honest conversations. We listen to feedback from people of various backgrounds and thought perspectives and push our products to meet the highest standards. Watch highlights from a recent discussion between Meta, industry experts and privacy-conscious consumers.
Proactive about privacy
Discover how Meta keeps privacy at the forefront of handling user data and new product development. Arjun Atholi, trust strategist at Meta, sits down with tech enthusiast and business owner Jennifer Tsay to discuss how it’s critical to our future.
Reclaiming heritage via VR
Learn how AR and VR can help to restore cultural heritage. Michael Running Wolf, an AI ethicist and member of the Lakota tribe of the Dakotas, speaks to Dr. Ray – the host of the panel – about how these technologies can benefit marginalized communities.
Our responsible innovation principles
To ensure we’re innovating with human connection and privacy in mind, our teams apply the following principles as they build new products.
Never surprise people
Be explicit and transparent about how our products work and the data they collect and share. We choose models that people will understand and proactively communicate both clearly and candidly, so people can make informed decisions about whether and how to use our products.
We also articulate best practices for responsible use and behavior when using our products.
Meta Quest Pro
When Quest Pro's external sensors are being used or Passthrough mode is on, the device will illuminate LED lights to inform people who may be nearby.
Learn MoreMeta Quest
You can choose who can see your information and activity on Quest in your privacy settings.
Learn MoreSmart glasses
You can access tips about how to be respectful when using your glasses.
Learn MoreProvide controls that matter
AR/VR technologies blend the virtual and physical worlds, presenting opportunities to establish new digital and physical norms and set appropriate boundaries. We provide people with meaningful controls - where and when they matter - that give them agency over their experience and how they use our products. These controls are based on research, not assumptions, and consider context and sensitivity.
We won’t offer controls for everything, but people should always have enough information to make an informed choice about whether to use our products.
Meta Quest Pro
Meta Quest Pro gives you control over which Meta or third-party apps can use the eye tracking and Natural Facial Expressions features, which are off by default.
Learn MoreMeta Quest
You can block someone at any time, or report anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable in VR.
Learn MoreSmart glasses
Clear privacy settings allow you to manage and control the information you share with Meta. You can choose whether to store voice recordings and activity logs, and customize how your Ray-Ban Stories listens for requests.
Learn More“We are in a pivotal moment in the history of technology. [It’s] going to connect humans in a brand new way”
Michael Running Wolf, Computer Science PhD Student and AI Ethicist
Consider everyone
In a world where AR/VR technology is ubiquitous, it is critical that we consider those who don't use our technology. We build with this in mind, and empower users to become stewards of respectful product use.
We work to ensure our products are inclusive of our diverse community, including users around the world and people in both vulnerable and under-represented communities. We know we can’t do this alone, so we conduct user research and work with in-house and outside experts from around the world.
Meta Quest Pro
To make VR more accessible, Quest Pro and previous headsets come with an ‘Accessibility’ tab in the settings menu. From this tab, you can change the headset’s default text size, apply color correction to increase the legibility of colors commonly difficult to differentiate, and utilize the 'Adjust Height’ feature which allows you to experience VR as though you are standing, even though you are in a seated position.
Learn MoreMeta Quest
Quest has features to help make VR more inclusive, like “Raise View” which enables you to experience VR from a “standing” vantage point even while physically seated.
Learn MoreSmart glasses
The capture LED light lets others know when you’re capturing photos and videos.
Learn MoreMeta Quest Pro
To make VR more accessible, Quest Pro and previous headsets come with an ‘Accessibility’ tab in the settings menu. From this tab, you can change the headset’s default text size, apply color correction to increase the legibility of colors commonly difficult to differentiate, and utilize the 'Adjust Height’ feature which allows you to experience VR as though you are standing, even though you are in a seated position.
Learn MoreMeta Quest
Quest has features to help make VR more inclusive, like “Raise View” which enables you to experience VR from a “standing” vantage point even while physically seated.
Learn MoreSmart glasses
The capture LED light lets others know when you’re capturing photos and videos.
Learn MorePut people first
Creating business value allows us to deliver value back to people, but on balance we believe over the long term business value stems from putting people first. This is especially true for our approach to data and protecting user privacy.
We treat consumer data with the sensitivity it deserves and invest in novel privacy-preserving techniques for data sharing and analysis. When forced to balance between benefit to an individual and benefit to a community we aim to prioritize what provides the most value for the community.
Meta Quest Pro
One of the core design principles of Meta Quest Pro is to only collect the minimum amount of data needed for the headset (and any features people turn on) to function optimally. Your data is encrypted on Meta Quest Pro and raw image data of your face and eyes received from sensors and cameras won't leave the device.
Learn moreMeta Quest
Quest is designed to protect your data. To keep your cloud backup data safe, your app data is encrypted. If you choose to sync your Move data with the Meta Quest app, your Move stats are also protected on our servers with end-to-end encryption.
Neither Meta nor third-party apps can access images or videos of your physical environment.
Smart glasses
Your memories are yours. Meta only collects the data needed to help make your glasses and app reliable, secure and operating normally, and you can choose to share additional data to improve the experience.
Learn MoreMeta Quest Pro
One of the core design principles of Meta Quest Pro is to only collect the minimum amount of data needed for the headset (and any features people turn on) to function optimally. Your data is encrypted on Meta Quest Pro and raw image data of your face and eyes received from sensors and cameras won't leave the device.
Learn moreMeta Quest
Quest is designed to protect your data. To keep your cloud backup data safe, your app data is encrypted. If you choose to sync your Move data with the Meta Quest app, your Move stats are also protected on our servers with end-to-end encryption.
Neither Meta nor third-party apps can access images or videos of your physical environment.
Smart glasses
Your memories are yours. Meta only collects the data needed to help make your glasses and app reliable, secure and operating normally, and you can choose to share additional data to improve the experience.
Learn MoreFrequently Asked Questions
Meta Quest Pro
Built with privacy in mind
With Meta Quest Pro, one of our core principles is we’ll only collect the minimum amount of data needed for the headset - and any features people turn on - to function optimally.
The eye-tracking and Natural Facial Expressions features are off by default - it’s up to you whether to turn them on. Raw image data, or pictures, of your eyes and face, are deleted after processing and never sent to Meta or any third-party apps.
Yes, Meta Quest Pro uses outward-facing sensors to enable features like Passthrough. We want people nearby to know when these sensors may detect them, so we’ve built LED lights into the headset that turn on any time these external sensors are in use.
Yes. Eye tracking, hand and body tracking and Natural Facial Expressions are opt-in only.
Natural Facial Expressions is a feature on your Meta Quest Pro headset that uses cameras to estimate how your face is moving. This feature is used to make your avatar’s expressions look more natural in VR by detecting your facial movements and mirroring them in VR. Natural Facial Expressions are not used to identify you. You can turn Natural Facial Expressions on and off in Settings and control which apps can access this feature on your Meta Quest Pro headset. Learn more about the Natural Facial Expressions feature on Meta Quest Pro and review our Natural Facial Expressions Privacy Notice.
Eye tracking is a feature on your Meta Quest Pro headset that uses cameras to estimate the direction of where your eyes are looking. This feature is used to make your avatar’s eye contact and facial expressions look more natural during your virtual interactions with other users and to improve the image quality within the area where you are looking in VR. Eye tracking may also be used as an input (similar to hand tracking), meaning you can interact with virtual content based on where you’re looking. Eye tracking is not used to identify you. You can turn eye tracking on and off in Settings and control which apps can access eye tracking on your Meta Quest Pro headset. Learn how we developed the eye tracking feature in alignment with our Responsible Innovation Principles in our white paper and review our Eye Tracking Privacy Notice.
Meta Quest
Manage who sees your information and what you want to share.
Through your Meta Quest privacy settings, you can choose how social you want to be and how your information is shared with others. You can control who can see your activity in VR and on other surfaces where your Meta Horizon profile is used.
Examples of data that are processed on device include raw images from the sensors on Meta Quest devices like images of your hands and body (if you choose to enable hand and body tracking), which are overwritten instantaneously. Examples of data that are stored locally on the device include any weight, height or gender information that you choose to provide Meta Quest Move.
Hand and body tracking is a feature for Meta Quest devices that allows you to switch between hands and controllers to interact with your surroundings, have a more seamless or immersive experience, and to make your avatar’s movements look more realistic. You have the choice to turn this feature on in Settings in VR. Learn more about the Hand and Body Tracking feature and review our Hand and Body Tracking Privacy Notice.
To help keep you physically safe, Meta Quest allows you to set up boundaries in VR that appear when you get too close to the edge of your play area. You can also turn on Space Sense to see outlines of people, pets and other objects that cross over the boundaries of your play space in VR. Learn more about safely setting up your play space.
You can visit the Privacy Center to learn more about your Meta Quest privacy settings and how and where to change them, view your information, download your information and delete your Meta Quest data.
You can also update and manage your privacy settings in the Meta Quest mobile app on your phone, in your headset and on your computer (for Rift and Rift S).
Smart glasses
Designed for privacy, controlled by you
Meta View app gives you control over what you choose to share and when. In the app, you can choose your preferences for captures, voice commands, and notifications, and manage the information you share with Meta. You can also control voice command settings -- select if you want to store voice interactions, and easily view and delete them at any time.
The photos and videos you take on your device will not be uploaded to your social media accounts, text messages or your phone’s photo album without your permission. You’ll need to use your glasses’ capture button or a voice command to take a photo or video. Visit our help center to learn more about how to share and save photos and videos.
It's important to respect the comfort and privacy of other people when using smart glasses. If you want to capture a photo or video, make sure that you ask for permission from those around you. A capture LED will light up to let people around you know when the camera is in use. You should avoid using your glasses in sensitive locations, places you would not want to be captured or where there is an expectation of privacy. For more tips, see our responsible use guidelines.
If you enable voice controls, they will activate when it detects the wake word, “Hey, Meta” or “OK, Meta”. You’ll see the notification LED inside the glasses and hear a wake sound when it is activated.
Photo and video capture will activate the notification and capture LEDs on your glasses. Learn more about bystander signaling for Meta’s smart glasses.
META
Responsibly powering mixed reality
Meta Quest 3 uses environmental data to blend physical and virtual spaces.
META
Introducing parent-managed Meta accounts for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3
Parent-managed Meta accounts are for children ages 10-12 (ages may vary by region), and offer additional parental controls, privacy, management, and monitoring features.