{"id":116,"date":"2026-08-15T04:29:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T08:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/?page_id=116"},"modified":"2026-08-15T04:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T08:42:14","slug":"vr-eyetracking-privacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/?page_id=116","title":{"rendered":"The eyes have it:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Turning the Privacy Gaze on the Use of Eyetracking in Online Gaming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Moving out of science labs and into our personal lives, online gaming devices, eyetracking technology brings new opportunities and very real concerns about data privacy. In science and academia, eyetracking has been used for decades to advance our understanding of cognition and the brain. Government agencies have explored whether eyetracking would be a viable new method to detect deception\u2014a next-generation polygraph. In industry, eyetracking technology has been used to gain an edge in advertising, to promote safety in long-haul truck drivers, and to enable communication for those who cannot speak or write. More recently, large technology companies including Meta, Apple, Lumen, Microsoft, Sony, and Google have acquired eyetracking companies and startups, and have received or submitted patent applications that outline new eyetracking technology, including eyetracking embedded in VR headsets, phones, tablets, and\/or computers for the purposes of response selection, innovative storytelling, and\/or facilitation of multiplayer experiences during online gaming. As eyetracking becomes increasingly embedded within such gaming environments, the public should be aware of the very real privacy concerns regarding the sharing of their eye movement data, and of who is reading that data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our eye movements can reveal the inner workings of our thought processes\u2014they show our preferences, what we pay attention to when making decisions, and what we remember, even when we try to hide our thoughts or are not even consciously aware of them. They can reveal whether we are a child or an older adult. Eye movements can reveal impending or current mental and brain health concerns such as depression, autism, and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Research also increasingly suggests that eye movements may be uniquely identifying: much like our fingerprints, no two people likely share the same viewing patterns. In Canada, however, there is no regulation surrounding the collection and use of eyetracking data, including in gaming contexts. This year-long project will critically examine privacy regarding eyetracking data collection during gaming through 6 activities: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Document the information that is being collected with respect to eye movements using current technology for online gaming environments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Document the correspondence and identify gaps between technology company policies regarding eyetracking data collection with what is actually being collected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Survey current policy recommendations from other countries regarding the use of eyetracking in online gaming environments, and more generally, policies regarding the collection and use of biometric data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Conduct a webinar and Q&A session with leaders from government, industry, and not- for-profit sectors to raise awareness around privacy risks and make policy recommendations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Develop educational toolkits for parents, children and gamers of all ages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Develop policy recommendations for Canadian policymakers based on activities 1-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Jennifer Ryan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Principal Investigator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ryan’s research focuses on the nature of memory. Her work describes the types of memory representations that are formed by different regions of the brain, and how memories are used, in the moment, to influence ongoing exploration and cognition. Her research also investigates learning strategies that may alleviate or circumvent memory deficits in older adults and in cases of amnesia. Dr. Ryan\u2019s research examines memory using a converging methodologies approach, employing behavioural paradigms, eyetracking, neuroimaging (e.g., MEG, fMRI), and computational modelling, in order to comprehensively address the questions at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ryan obtained her PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001, and subsequently moved to the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest and the University of Toronto. Dr. Ryan currently holds the Anne and Max Tanenbaum Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience, a joint position at Baycrest and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is also presently Senior Scientist at the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, and Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She previously served as Director, Scientific and Academic Affairs, and held the accompanying Reva James Leeds Chair in Neuroscience and Research Leadership at Baycrest from 2018-2021. Dr. Ryan also previously held a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory (2006-2016).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jeni Pathman<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Principal Investigator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jeni Pathman completed her undergraduate work at McMaster University. She received her Ph.D. from the Psychology Department at Emory University. She then completed postdoctoral training at the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis. She was an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, before moving to York in 2017. Her research interests are in cognitive development and developmental cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Pathman studies the development of declarative memory. She is especially interested in learning about the development of contextual memory (e.g., memory for time and space), semantic memory, and the development of the processes and neural substrates involved in episodic and autobiographical memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Pathman is the Developmental Science Area Program Coordinator. She is a core member of the LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research, the Centre for Integrative and Applied Neuroscience (CIAN) , Connected Minds, and an associate member of VISTA: Science to Applications. She is an Associate Editor for the academic journal Memory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Tamir Israel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Principal Investigator<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tamir Israel is Director of the Privacy, Surveillance, and Technology Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), where his work focuses on privacy, law enforcement and national security surveillance, cybercrime, cross-border data sharing and the detrimental impacts of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tamir is committed to advancing human rights, particularly in light of threats posed by emerging technologies. His advocacy has included parliamentary testimony, regulatory proceedings, interventions at all levels of court in Canada, and participation in international law and policy development fora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to joining CCLA, Tamir worked at Human Rights Watch and the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) and lectured on Internet regulation at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Graduate & Post-doctoral Studies. He holds a J.D. from the University of Toronto, is on the advisory board of Open Media, and is a consultant with Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Turning the Privacy Gaze on the Use of Eyetracking in Online Gaming Moving out of science labs and into our personal lives, online gaming devices, eyetracking technology brings new opportunities and very real concerns about data privacy. In science and academia, eyetracking has been used for decades to advance our understanding of cognition and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"project","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-116","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129,"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/116\/revisions\/129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/policydreams.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}