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 by Staff Writers Berlin (AFP) Dec 10, 2020
Germany's competition authority said Thursday it has opened an inquiry into Facebook over the social media behemoth linking its Oculus virtual reality headsets to its social media app. "Future use of new Oculus glasses should not be possible solely on condition that one has a Facebook account," said watchdog head Andreas Mundt. "This link between virtual reality products and the social media network could constitute a prohibited use of Facebook's dominant market position," both in terms of social media and VR adoption, Mundt said in a statement. The VR gear, Oculus Quest, is designed for use in the latest sophisticated games and films but its use is spreading to sectors such as health, security and culture. The likes of Sony, Microsoft and HTC also have brought out VR headsets. Facebook has recently begun integrating VR activities previously sold separately on an Oculus platform. The latest incarnation, Oculus Quest 2, has seen Facebook begin requiring a Facebook log-in to use the new hardware, sparking competition concerns. Germany has already sparred with the US social media giant over sharing of clients' private data and earlier this year halted sales of the original Quest in the country. A judicial investigation into the issue remains ongoing and Mundt said he regretted that consumers were caught in the middle. Other countries have also been at odds with Facebook -- notably the United States -- with the company accused of abusing its dominant global social media market position. On Wednesday, US federal and state antitrust enforcers filed suit against Facebook alleging anticompetitive conduct, saying it should divest itself of messaging services Instagram and WhatsApp. ylf/ilp/cdw/erc
Video games are 'under-regulated': EU anti-terror czar Brussels (AFP) Nov 26, 2020 Online video games can be used to propagate extremist ideologies and even prepare attacks, the EU's anti-terrorist coordinator told AFP in an interview in which he urged more regulation. The official, Gilles de Kerchove, made the argument ahead of the European Commission's presentation on December 9 of a proposed Digital Services Act that aims to rein in Big Tech excesses and internet hate speech. "I'm not saying that all the gaming sector is a problem. There are two billion people playing onlin ... read more
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