Berlin: 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.
