Preserving user privacy and preventing surveillance on behalf of users of a virtual reality world. One or more plans are available when a privacy or surveillance risk to a user is detected. In one plan, configurable scripts execute on behalf of the user to create a confusing array of clone avatars that obfuscate the real user avatar behavior. A malevolent avatar, attempting to surveil the user, may have difficulty distinguishing the clones from the user and may miss out on private insights he might otherwise have learned from the user's behavior. In another exemplary privacy plan, a copy of part of the virtual world is spawned, occupied exclusively by the user's avatar, and then merged into the main world. Privacy plans may be selected manually or automatically in response to perceived privacy threats to strike a balance between privacy and enjoyment within the virtual world.