http://ur1.ca/olhtv This chilling image of Mark Zuckerberg made me think about the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) on user freedom.
I think at some point there will be a global VR network, and since companies like Facebook and Google already invested heavily in VR, they will be the ones setting the rules. Virtual Reality is not like ordinary software, because it can create false memories ([0]), cause dissociation and depersonalization ([1]) and alienate people ([2]). If put in the wrong hands (and it already is), it can be used as a tool for total control, like in the movie "The Matrix". How do you think the libre community should prepare for VR? I don't think we could just sweep this issue under the rug and say "it's just another category of software", because I think VR can affect user freedom in a way that no other software can, especially once more advanced technologies like neural interfaces are developed. [0]: https://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2006/12/virtual-reality-virtual-memories.html [1]: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20712501 [2]: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/02/the-good-and-the-bad-of-escaping-to-virtual-reality/385134/
