Information privacy in virtual reality

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating, by at least one processor, a virtual reality experience in a virtual reality environment;

detecting, a first gesture from a first user accessing the virtual reality environment, the first gesture being configured as a command to initiate a privacy mode with a second user accessing the virtual reality environment;

generating a prompt for display to the second user, the prompt corresponding to the command;

in response to detecting a second gesture from the second user that is determined to match the first gesture, the gestures being tracked as a series of velocity changes:

initiating the privacy mode between the first user and the second user in the virtual reality environment; and

sharing communications occurring in the virtual reality environment from the first user to the second user and from the second user to the first user while modifying, for users other than the first user and the second user, the communications occurring between the first user and the second user; and

in response to receiving agreement, from the first user and the second user, to share at least a portion of the communications from the privacy mode, triggering display of the portion of communications from the privacy mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications include audial data that is electronically transmitted in the virtual reality environment according to the privacy mode.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications include visual data that is electronically transmitted in the virtual reality environment according to the privacy mode.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising terminating the privacy mode between the first user and the second user in response to detecting the first gesture by the first user a second time or in response to detecting the second gesture by the second user a second time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a match between the first gesture and the second gesture includes:

comparing gesture data associated with the first gesture to gesture data associated with the second gesture, the gesture data associated with the first gesture being based on the first gesture formed by the first user and the gesture data associated with the second gesture being based on the second gesture formed by the second user; and

determining whether movements defined by the first gesture data overlap movements defined by the second gesture data.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second gesture includes data corresponding to a similar movement to the movement of a portion of the body of the first user, the second gesture being a movement performed by a portion of the body of the second user, the movement associated with the second gesture forming a predefined signal configured to initiate private communication in the virtual reality environment.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gesture and the second gesture include tracked eye gaze movements performed in the virtual reality environment, the eye gaze movements including a first user performing an initial gaze toward the second user that is detected to be met by a gaze performed by the second user for a predetermined time period.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gesture and the second gesture include tracked hand movements performed in the virtual reality environment and the determination of a match between the first gesture and the second gesture is based at least in part on comparing the first gesture to the second gesture to determine a matched range of movement.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the tracked hand movements performed in the virtual reality environment include movements that generate a drawn shape, and the at least one processor detects the drawn shape; and

in response to detecting that the movements associated with the second user match at least a portion of the drawn shape, initiating a privacy mode between the first user and the second user.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations including,

generating, by at least one processor, a virtual reality experience in a virtual reality environment;

detecting, a first gesture from a first user accessing the virtual reality environment, the first gesture being configured as a command to initiate a privacy mode with a second user accessing the virtual reality environment;

generating a prompt for display to the second user, the prompt corresponding to the command;

in response to detecting a second gesture from the second user that is determined to match the first gesture, the gestures being tracked as a series of velocity changes:

initiating the privacy mode between the first user and the second user in the virtual reality environment; and

sharing communications occurring in the virtual environment from the first user to the second user and from the second user to the first user while modifying, for users other than the first user and the second user, the communications occurring between the first user and the second user; and

triggering display of at least a portion of communications from the privacy mode, in response to receiving agreement, from the first user and the second user, to share the portion of the communications.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the communications include visual data that is electronically transmitted in the virtual reality environment according to the privacy mode.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein determining a match between the first gesture and the second gesture includes:

comparing gesture data associated with the first gesture to gesture data associated with the second gesture, the gesture data associated with the first gesture being based on the first gesture formed by the first user and the gesture data associated with the second gesture being based on the second gesture formed by the second user; and

determining whether movements defined by the first gesture data overlap movements defined by the second gesture data.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first gesture includes data corresponding to a movement of a portion of the body of the first user, the movement forming a predefined signal configured to initiate private communication in the virtual reality environment.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first gesture and the second gesture include tracked eye gaze movements performed in the virtual reality environment, the eye gaze movements including a first user performing an initial gaze toward the second user that is detected to be met by a gaze performed by the second user for a predetermined time period.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to:

generate, by the at least one processor, a virtual reality experience in a virtual reality environment;

detect, a first gesture from a first user accessing the virtual reality environment, the first gesture being configured as a command to initiate a privacy mode with a second user accessing the virtual reality environment;

generate a prompt for display to the second user, the prompt corresponding to the command;

in response to detecting a second gesture from the second user that is determined to match the first gesture, the gestures being tracked as a series of velocity changes:

initiate the privacy mode between the first user and the second user in the virtual reality environment; and

provide communications occurring in the virtual environment from the first user to the second user and from the second user to the first user while suppressing, to users other than the first user and the second user, the communications occurring between the first user and the second user

in response to receiving agreement, from the first user and the second user, to share at least a portion of the communications from the privacy mode, triggering display of the portion of communications from the privacy mode.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the computer system is further caused to terminate the privacy mode between the first user and the second user in response to detecting the first gesture by the first user a second time or in response to detecting the second gesture by the second user a second time.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein determining a match between the first gesture and the second gesture includes:

comparing gesture data associated with the first gesture to gesture data associated with the second gesture, the gesture data associated with the first gesture being based on the first gesture formed by the first user and the gesture data associated with the second gesture being based on the second gesture formed by the second user; and

determining whether movements defined by the first gesture data overlap movements defined by the second gesture data.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the first gesture includes data corresponding to a movement of a portion of the body of the first user, the movement forming a predefined signal configured to initiate private communication in the virtual reality environment.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gesture further includes a contact associated with a virtual object in the virtual reality environment and the second gesture further includes a detected contact with the virtual object.