What They Say
Germany’s Federal Cartel Office, or Bundeskartellamt, said it initiated formal “abuse proceedings” over Facebook’s requirement that new Oculus device owners register and sign in with a Facebook account.
- The company started requiring a Facebook account to use its Oculus Quest 2, which launched in October. It’s also ending support for previous Oculus account users by 2023, meaning they have two years before they’re forced to merge their Oculus and Facebook accounts.
- Linking VR headsets with Facebook could be considered a “prohibited use” of its dominant market position, according to Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt.
- The office will investigate how the linking arrangement will impact competition in both the social media and VR space, he said.
- Facebook stopped selling its Oculus products in Germany earlier this year amid privacy concerns. The company says the temporary halt in sales isn’t related to the investigation.
What We Think
Germany is more robust about privacy issues than anywhere else in the Western world and multinationals often bump into this kind of regulation. Germany also has a federal structure, so sometimes regional authorities take different points of view, which can cause further complication. (BR)
