Editing Meta

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Meta
| Type = Public
| Founded = 2004
| Industry = Technology
| Official Website = https://meta.com/
| Logo = Meta.webp
}}
[[wikipedia:Meta_Platforms|'''Meta Platforms, Inc.''']], formerly known as Facebook, is a multinational technology conglomerate primarily known for its social media platforms, including [[Facebook]], [[Instagram]], [[WhatsApp]], and [[Messenger]]. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook quickly grew into one of the largest social networks in the world. Over the years, the company has expanded its business model, incorporating advertising, data collection, and virtual reality products, with a focus on connecting users globally.

In 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, signaling its shift toward a broader vision focused on the "metaverse" – a virtual-reality, interconnected digital world. Meta has faced ongoing scrutiny over issues related to consumer privacy, data security, content moderation, and its role in spreading misinformation. The company has been involved in several high-profile regulatory and legal challenges, particularly regarding its handling of user data and its impact on user well-being.

==Meta Oculus VR==

===Oculus VR Facebook account requirement===
In 2014, Meta acquired Oculus VR for approximately $2 billion, which was known for developing the Oculus Rift and other virtual-reality (VR) products. Before the acquisition, users could create and use Oculus accounts to access their VR content. This allowed users more control over their privacy and data, without needing to use Facebook. 

After Oculus VR was purchased by Meta in October 2020, Oculus Quest and Rift S users were required to sign in with a Facebook account in order to continue to use their purchased VR headsets.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/19/21375118/oculus-facebook-account-login-data-privacy-controversy-developers-competition "Facebook is making Oculus’ worst feature unavoidable"] - theverge.com - 20 Aug 2020</ref> This forced integration of Facebook accounts with Oculus devices created several issues for users, particularly those who preferred to keep their VR experience separate from social media.

Because Oculus headsets were now tied to Facebook accounts, users who had their Facebook profiles suspended for any reason found themselves unable to access their purchased content, including games and apps, and unable to use their devices.<ref>[https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/15/21518194/oculus-quest-2-headset-facebook-account-suspension-problems "Facebook is accidentally locking some users out of their new Oculus headsets"] - theverge.com - 16 Oct 2020</ref> Meta offered no options for Oculus VR users aside from going through Facebook's moderation process to attempt to regain access to their accounts.

Additionally, Oculus account holders who did not want to link to Facebook risked losing access to their purchases entirely.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/comments/zr0rl8/facebook_is_purging_oculus_accounts_in_january/ "Facebook is purging Oculus accounts in January and any data you might have on it, including access to the headset"] - reddit.com/r/OculusQuest - 21 Dec 2022</ref> If they did not migrate to a Facebook account, they would no longer be able to use their Oculus headsets or access any content they had purchased from the Oculus Store.

In August 2022, following public backlash, Meta reversed the policy, allowing users to sign in with a new "Meta account" instead of a Facebook account.<ref>[https://www.pcgamer.com/finally-the-quest-2-no-longer-requires-a-facebook-login/ "Finally, the Quest 2 no longer requires a Facebook login"] - pcgamer.com - 24 Aug 2022</ref> This, however, did not prevent several original Oculus accounts from being deleted or suspended, with Facebook users being locked out of their headsets for two years.

Additionally to all of this the headsets are not usable at all without connecting them to the Internet and logging them into a Meta/Facebook account when the owner wants to use it for the first time after purchase. This creates the risk that the headsets will be indefinitely unusable, or at least not to be able to be set up after a reset of the software, if Meta theoretically decides to shutdown the authentication or login servers. 

===''Echo VR'' shutdown and Ready At Dawn===
''Echo VR'' was a VR e-sports title centered around zero-gravity physics, developed by Ready At Dawn Studios.<ref>[https://www.meta.com/experiences/echo-vr/2215004568539258/ "Echo VR - About Page"] - meta.com</ref> The game released on July 20, 2017, on the Oculus Rift store, before being ported over to the Meta Quest platform (formerly the Oculus Quest platform) on May 5, 2020. 

Ready At Dawn Studios was a game developer most notably known for creating the original ''God of War'' series and ''Daxter''. They were acquired by Oculus Studios, an umbrella organization of Meta, in June 2020.<ref>[https://www.meta.com/en-gb/blog/quest/welcoming-ready-at-dawn-to-facebook/ "Welcoming Ready At Dawn to Facebook"] - meta.com - 23 Jun 2020</ref>

On January 31, 2023, Ready At Dawn announced that ''Echo VR'' would be shut down on August 1 of that year. They claimed in a blog post that the reason was them "consolidating studio support" to work on their next project, as well as confirming that players who had spent money on in-game currency would not be able to receive a refund.<ref>[https://medium.com/@EchoGames/an-update-on-the-future-of-echo-vr-7f074dca1ed1 "An Update on the Future of Echo VR"] - medium.com - 1 Feb 2023</ref> Meta's CTO, Andrew Bosworth, answered questions regarding the shutdown in an Instagram AMA, explaining that it would be "even less cost effective" to open-source or sell the game.<ref>[https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-cto-john-carmack-echo-vr/ "Meta CTO: John Carmack Would Not Have Shut Down Echo VR"] - uploadvr.com - 2 Feb 2023</ref> 

Fans of ''Echo VR'' protested against the game's shutdown, going so far as to fly a banner over Meta's headquarters asking to reverse the decision.<ref>[https://vrscout.com/news/the-vr-esports-community-rallies-to-save-echo-vr/ "The VR Esports Community Rallies To Save Echo VR"] - vrscout.com - 2 Mar 2023</ref> Despite this, the game's servers did shut down on the given date. ''Echo VR'' itself was still able to be downloaded and opened, meaning the contents of the game were still available, but a player would not be able to progress after a shutdown notice pop-up.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/comments/15fisnk/echo_vr_has_shut_down/ "Echo VR Has Shut Down"] - reddit.com/r/OculusQuest - 2 Aug 2023</ref> 

Despite Ready At Dawn's claims, there have been no other project released following the shutdown. The studio proceeded to suffer major layoffs and, in August 2024, Meta shut down Ready At Dawn Studios itself, blaming Oculus Studios' budgetary constraints.<ref>[https://www.androidcentral.com/gaming/virtual-reality/ready-at-dawn-studios-closing "Exclusive: Meta is closing a beloved first-party Quest studio"] - androidcentral.com - 8 Aug 2024 </ref>
==Lawsuits==

===''United States of America v. Facebook''===
In July 2019, Facebook agreed to pay $5 billion USD and implement corrective measures after it was sued by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for "misleading users about the extent to which third-party application developers could access users' personal information."<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/facebook-agrees-pay-5-billion-and-implement-robust-new-protections-user-information "Facebook Agrees to Pay $5 Billion and Implement Robust New Protections of User Information in Settlement of Data-Privacy Claims"] - justice.gov - 24 Jul 2019</ref>

====Controversy over default privacy settings (2010–2018)====
Facebook's default settings allowed third-party app developers to access not only the data of users who installed their apps, but also the data of those users' friends. While users could opt out of this data sharing, the setting was located separately from the main privacy settings page, making it difficult to find and adjust.<ref name=":0">"[https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1186506/dl United States of America v. Facebook, Inc., Case No. 19-cv-2184, Complaint for civil penalities, injunction, and other relief"] PDF - justice.gov - 24 Jul 2019</ref>

After settling with the FTC in 2012 over deceptive privacy practices, Facebook initially added a privacy disclaimer about friend data sharing but removed it four months later. This occurred while continuing the same data-sharing practices that prompted the original FTC investigation, violating the order's prohibition against misrepresenting users' privacy control.<ref name=":0" />

While Facebook publicly announced in 2014 that it would stop allowing third-party developers to collect data about users' friends, it privately maintained agreements with dozens of "whitelisted developers" who continued to have this access until June 2018.<ref name=":0" />

====Deceptive two-factor authentication (2015–2018)====
Facebook requested users' phone numbers for security purposes, including two-factor authentication, without effectively disclosing that this information would also be used for advertising purposes.<ref name=":0" />

====Misleading implementation of facial recognition====
In 2018, Facebook's updated data policy implied that facial recognition technology was opt-in, while tens of millions of users with older versions of the technology actually had to opt out to disable it.<ref name=":0" />

===GDPR violations===
In July 2020, the Irish Data Protection Authority submitted an inquiry into Meta's Facebook service for transferring its users' personal data to the U.S.<ref>[https://www.edpb.europa.eu/news/news/2023/12-billion-euro-fine-facebook-result-edpb-binding-decision_en "1.2 billion euro fine for Facebook as a result of EDPB binding decision"] - edpb.europa.eu - 22 May 2023 </ref> which failed to comply with a 2020 decision<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/business/eu-data-transfer-pact-rejected.html "E.U. Court Strikes Down Trans-Atlantic Data Transfer Pact"] - nytimes.com - 16 July 2020</ref> that the company's data was not secure enough. In May 2023, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) enforced the $1.2 billion euro fine on Meta and an order to cease the "unlawful processing, including storage, in the U.S. of personal data of European users transferred in violation of the GDPR." 

In September 2022, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) fined Meta 405 million euros and imposed several "corrective measures" on Meta for its illegal handling of children's Instagram profile data.<ref>[https://www.edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/binding-decision-board-art-65/binding-decision-22022-dispute-arisen_en Binding Decision 2/2022 on the dispute arisen on the draft decision of the Irish Supervisory Authority regarding Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (Instagram) under Article 65(1)(a) GDPR] - edpb.europa.eu - 15 Sep 2022</ref> Before corrective measures were imposed upon Meta, their Instagram platform publicly disclosed email address and phone numbers of children who used the business account feature. 

===''The State of Texas Court v. Meta Platforms''===
In February 2022, Attorney General Paxton sued Meta for the illegal collection of Texas citizens' biometric data, such as retina scans, fingerprints, voiceprints, and face geometry, without their informed consent from 2010 to 2021.<ref>[https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/paxton-sues-facebook-using-unauthorized-biometric-data "Paxton Sues Facebook for Using Unauthorized Biometric Data"] - texasattorneygeneral.gov - 14 Feb 2022 </ref> Meta would share it with third parties and would not delete this data despite promising to do so, which violated Texas' Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier (CUBI) Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA).

In July 2024, Meta agreed to pay Texas $1.4 Billion in a settlement with the attorney general<ref>[https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/press/Final%20State%20of%20Texas%20v%20Meta%20Order%202024.pdf "The State of Texas v Meta Order 2020]" PDF - texasattorneygeneral.gov - 30 Jul 2024 </ref> which consisted of a $25,000 USD fine for each CUBI violation and $10,000 USD for each DTPA violation.

==="Pay or consent" model===
As of early 2024, Meta is being investigated for violating the EU's [[Digital Markets Act]] (DMA) by using a "pay or consent" model to its Facebook and Instagram platforms, forcing users to pay a monthly subscription for an ad-free version or to accept versions with personalized advertisements.<ref>[https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_3582 "Commission sends preliminary findings to Meta over its “Pay or Consent” model for breach of the Digital Markets Act"] - ec.europa.eu - 1 Jul 2024 </ref> Launched in late 2023, Meta's model offered European users two options: pay approximately €13 monthly for ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram, or continue using free accounts with personalized advertising.

The Commission determined that this binary choice violates DMA regulations, which require "gatekeeper" platforms to offer equivalent alternatives for users who decline personal data collection. The DMA mandates that large tech companies must obtain explicit consent before combining users' personal data across services, and cannot make service access conditional upon such consent.<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/07/01/metas-ad-free-subscriptions-for-instagram-and-facebook-break-europes-tech-rules-possibly-drawing-billions-in-fines-eu-says/ "Meta’s Ad-Free Subscriptions For Instagram And Facebook Break Europe’s Tech Rules—Possibly Drawing Billions In Fines, EU Says"] - forbes.com - 1 Jul 2024</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Social media companies]]
[[Category:Software companies]]
[[Category:Technology companies]]
[[Category:Virtual reality companies]]
[[Category:Meta]]