Meta: Difference between revisions

[[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.

According to reports, some users have reported popups asking them to opt in to "cloud processing" of their photos when using the Story feature. This would give the app unrestricted access to all photos stored on the user's phone and upload all of them to the cloud on a reguar basis, as opposed to just uploading those images explicitly chosen by the user to be posted on the platform. Users are incentivized to agree through the promise of custom collages and recaps.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Tina |date=June 28, 2025 |title=Facebook is starting to feed its AI with private, unpublished photos |url=https://www.theverge.com/meta/694685/meta-ai-camera-roll |access-date=June 29, 2025 |website=The Verge}}</ref>

The Facebook Android App summarily requests a lot of permissions. Most of those can be denied if unwanted. However, when the unlimited permission to access all media files on the user's phone is not granted, it is not possible to share images from the app. This is a completely bogus requirement, technically this permission is not needed to share images ''out'' of an app. The app will guide the user into enabling that permission when they [first] try to share an image out of Facebook to a different app, e.g. a messenger. Notably, even granting limited access will trigger the "more permissions required" guidance.

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.  

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.  

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>{{Cite web |last=@EchoGames |date=31 Jan 2023 |title=An Update on the Future of Echo VR |url=https://medium.com/@EchoGames/an-update-on-the-future-of-echo-vr-7f074dca1ed1 |url-status=live |access-date=26 Apr 2025 |website=Medium}}</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>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Harry |date=2 Feb 2023 |title=Meta CTO: John Carmack Would Not Have Shut Down Echo VR |url=https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-cto-john-carmack-echo-vr/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 Apr 2025 |website=www.uploadvr.com}}</ref>