Facebook's Requirement for Oculus Gamers

[Adonsa]

Greetings,

Preface and disclaimer: This might belong in the hardware topic, but, to play it safe, here it is in this one. Although I'm not a Facebook user, I respect others who made their choices of social media, and, in no way, is the intent of this to be critical of end users and members of this website. I disagree with all of Mark Zukerberg's decisions and impositions over Oculus users. Given that Mr. Zukerberg is a celebrity CEO, I respectfully request permission to badmouth him as needed.

1. Facebook requirements of Oculus users.
(1) Existing Facebook users who delete their facebook accounts
will forfeit all access to games purchased thru Oculus store, and all
Oculus account information. They will lose all Oculus store credits.
(2) Non-facebook Oculus account holders are given 2 years to join facebook.
(3) Non-facebook users must join Facebook upon buying a new headset.
(4) Oculus Quest 2 users must have a facebook account.
(5) Previous generation Oculus users, using the device for first time,
must log in with facebook.

2. Legal Concerns
Mr. Zukerberg intends to shut down any gamer's Oculus account for violating Facebook's term of service,

even though a non-facebook user has never agreed to any facebook term of service requirement.

This is a US based problem. Other countries' gamers may not need an attorney to argue their case, given that consumer protection entities will do that for them.

Gamers who agree and join Facebook, to comply, will have no control over what the facebook staff sends to data brokers.

3. Significant comments and information derived from the Slashdot website (references below).

" ...that Facebook REQUIRE you to connect your Oculus with a Facebook account, and that is Data Acquisition."

"Nobody would accept requiring a (Facebook) account to use a Keyboard, Mouse (ESAD Razer) or Monitor. There is no reason on earth VR HMDs should be any different."

Video and voice from connected Oculus cameras will go to data brokers, and this may be already ongoing.
Anything on camera, family members, words, etc. Data brokers will send
same to insurance companies, hackers, and all kinds of nefarious organizations.
If you are clumsy on your video feed, data brokers will have your insurance premiums raised, for example.

4. This is likely what got my post deleted from the Slashdot website.
I complained that, under facebook, users are not customers.

users are the product and the data brokers are the customers.

Users get no monetary benefit from having their day to day lives sold off to data brokers.

5. Legal remedial alternatives (which may or may not work)
(1) Class action lawsuit
(2) Complaint to state attorneys general (US)
(3) Small Claims court lawsuit, to get a judgement
(4) Single lawsuit

(5) Governmental remedies for countries allowing same.

6. Non-legal alternatives
(1) Close out and sell the Oculus headset on ebay. Switch to another.

7. Non-facebook user recommendation - Upon logging into Oculus either online or within the headset,

beware of any unexpected requirement to "agree" to anything.

Doing so may cause you to forfeit any future legal rights, and cause you to be beholden to Mr. Zukerberg.

I resent that Mr. Zukerberg wants to impose his will upon me.
My personal choice will be to sell off my Rift-S, and cut my losses, but that's just me,
I have no right to ask you to do likewise.

Thank you for reading this. Please, please comment, both pro and con, agree/disagree,
given that, you see things differently than I do.

References:
The Slashdot Articles
https://games.slashdot.org/story/20/10/27/2126217/deleting-your-facebook-account-forfeits-oculus-vr-games-you-already-paid-for

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/20/08/18/1833201/youll-need-a-facebook-account-to-use-future-oculus-headsets

The Upload.com article, Deleting Facebook Also Deletes Oculus Purchases And Account Information
https://uploadvr.com/delete-facebook-lose-oculus-purchases

The Polygon article: Deleting your Facebook account forfeits Oculus VR games you already paid for
https://www.polygon.com/2020/10/27/21536142/deleting-your-facebook-oculus-games-deleted

Mr. Zukerberg's requirements on the Occulus Support web site
https://support.oculus.com/424208161507635

Facebook’s Bold New Oculus Move Sparks Outrage by Kate O'Flaherty
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2020/08/22/facebook-sparks-oculus-outrage-you-need-an-account-to-log-in/?sh=31a318b405ab

Facebook is making Oculus’ worst feature unavoidable by Adi Robertson
https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/19/21375118/oculus-facebook-account-login-data-privacy-controversy-developers-competition

[HeyYou]

What does Oculus have to do with Facebook??

[gnarly1]

What does Oculus have to do with Facebook??

FB owns Oculus.

[Adonsa]

Hi HeyYou and ganrly1,

 

I believe it was in August when FB bought out Oculus. Back then

Palmer Lucky published his promise, recently cited on Twitter:

 

https://twitter.com/hmltn/status/1295789706383433734

 

In short, Mr. Lucky's promises, to Oculus users, that a Facebook account would

not be required, were agreed upon by the Facebook management.

Today, FB ignores it's agreement made during the buyout.

 

Here's the link to the class action lawsuit against FB and Oculus

which includes a discord link

https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/jht6kx/class_action_lawsuit_against_oculus_and_facebook/

[gnarly1]

I believe it was in August when FB bought out Oculus.

FB bought Oculus in March 2014.

[Adonsa]

Yikes!

 

Thanks gnarly, I should have researched better before buying the Rift S.

This means that facebook's data miners and data brokers have been

leaching every move I've made (while using the Rift S). Nothing good can

come out of this.

[gnarly1]

Yikes!

 

Thanks gnarly, I should have researched better before buying the Rift S.

This means that facebook's data miners and data brokers have been

leaching every move I've made (while using the Rift S). Nothing good can

come out of this.

I guess it depends whether the data is anonymized before being monetized. If it's anonymized then I can't see the harm. I doubt they do that though.

[HeyYou]

 

What does Oculus have to do with Facebook??

FB owns Oculus.

 

That would explain a lot. :) I was not aware of that little tidbit.

[Deleted54170User]

I[m not wearing any goggles that will put weight on my neck.

 

It's the Holo-Deck or back on the couch playing video games the tried and true way so I can continue getting obese munching on chips and dips, and pizza all day and night.

[Adonsa]

The beginnings of the upcoming class action lawsuit against facebook and Oculus, are well underway on

Discord. Attorneys are being contacted, web pages are being built, and more and

more Oculus users are joining the Discord channel.

 

https://discord.gg/zjX67Ey

 

Events of Oculus's being bricked are occurring already by fb arbitrarily banning

facebook accounts with no basis for doing so. Banned or deleted facebook accounts

bricks the Oculus headsets, according to customers that spent big money purchasing their headsets.