'Curious Conversations' podcast: Brendan David-John talks about the dangers of gaze data
Brendan David-John joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about gaze data - information collected from eyes when using devices - its applications in virtual and augmented realities, and the associated privacy concerns. He highlighted the potential for gaze data to reveal personal information and related security implications, especially in a military context, and shared the projects he’s currently working on to better mitigate this threat.
Takeaways
Virtual reality systems use gaze data for rendering optimizations, enhancing natural interactions in both virtual and augmented reality environments.
Gaze data can reveal demographic information about individuals, including age, gender, and ethnicity, which nefarious actors could exploit in a variety of manners.
Research to improve the security of gaze data is ongoing, but consumers can help protect themselves immediately by always carefully reviewing the privacy policies before using devices.
About David-John
David-John is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Virginia Tech Private Eye Lab, as well as a researcher with the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. His research interests include eye tracking, virtual reality, augmented reality, privacy, and computer graphics.
Learn more
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Virginia Tech leads research to expose new privacy concerns with virtual reality
About the podcast
"Curious Conversations" is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life. Produced and hosted by Travis Williams, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Office of Research and Innovation, university researchers share their expertise and motivations as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures. New episodes are shared each Tuesday.