The daytime after the FTC and dozens of Attorneys General filedtwo separate suitsagainst Facebook over it anticompetitive track phonograph recording , the company ’s being slammed with yet another antitrust investigation — this metre , from Germany ’s antimonopoly governor . Specifically , the country ’s Federal Cartel Office ( otherwise know as The Bundeskartellamt)announcedplans to investigate the tie between Oculus ’s virtual reality ironware and Facebook ’s social electronic web .
Just to give a brief review , one of the understanding that the Facebook - owned company recently landed on the shit tilt ofprivacy advocatesandVR enthusiastsalike was the company ’s late move to require Oculus users access with their Facebook account . As the companyannouncedback in August , VR - heads will have until 2023 before support for all eye - specific accounts gets rationalize off for trade good .
“ Using a VR profile that is backed by a Facebook account and authentic identity help us protect our residential district and makes it possible to offer additional unity prick , ” Oculus order at the time . “ For example , instead of have a separate Oculus Code of Conduct , we will assume Facebook ’s Community Standards as well as a new extra VR - focus insurance policy . ”
Photo: Alastair Pike (Getty Images)
Germany ’s not convinced . Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt said in a assertion that the call for tie between VR products and Facebook ’s social web “ could constitute a proscribe ill-usage of dominance ” on the part of the tech heavyweight .
“ We intend to examine whether and to what extent this tie arrangement will affect competition in both areas of natural action , ” he went on .
It ’s worth note here that the linkage news get on the heels of Oculus cofounder Nate Mitchellannouncinghe was leaving Facebook for green pastures , marking the expiration of the last original Oculus staffer from Facebook ’s HQ . Not long after that , Facebookrebrandedits augmented and practical reality division to Facebook Reality Labs .
This is the 2d antimonopoly probe against the ship’s company being spearheaded by German authorities . Back in 2019 , the Bundeskartellamtlobbed an orderat Facebook meant to preclude the caller ’s myriad platforms from coalesce exploiter data obtained from third - party sources . Facebook clamber to block the orderand succeeded — though a hearing on the main proceedings is scheduled for mid-2021 . And aside from the two case in Germany , the troupe ’s also face up itsfairshareof examination from other regulatory bodies throughout the European Union .
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