Gaze-Aware Mixed-Reality: Addressing Privacy Issues with Eye Tracking

Abstract

Current Mixed Reality (MR) systems rely on a variety of sensors (e.g., cameras, eye tracking, GPS) to create immersive experiences. Data collected by these sensors are necessary to generate detailed models of a user and the environment that allow for different interactions with the virtual and the real world. Generally, these data contain sensitive information about the user, objects, and other people that make up the interaction. This is particularly the case for MR systems with eye tracking, because these devices are capable of inferring the identity and cognitive processes related to attention and arousal of a user. The goal of this position paper is to raise awareness on privacy issues that result from aggregating user data from multiple sensors in MR. Specifically, we focus on the challenges that arise from collecting eye tracking data and outline different ways gaze data may contribute to alleviate some of the privacy concerns from aggregating sensor data.