Meta: Difference between revisions - Consumer_Action

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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.

== Anti-consumer practices ==

==Anti-consumer practices==

=== Facebook  ===

===Facebook===

==== The Linux Ban ====

====The Linux Ban====

In January of 2025, Meta updated their internal policies to recognize the [[free and open source software]] and operating system Linux as a "cybersecurity threat".<ref name=":1">https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20250127#sitenews</ref><ref>https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/facebook-flags-linux-topics-as-cybersecurity-threats-posts-and-users-being-blocked</ref> As part of this, many Facebook users have had their accounts either locked or muted over merely speaking of Linux, most notably DistroWatch.<ref name=":1" /> Many have called this out as irony, since Meta's infrastructure mostly runs off of Linux.<ref>https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/28/facebook_blocks_distrowatch/</ref>

=== Meta Oculus VR ===

===Meta Oculus VR===

==== Oculus VR Facebook account requirement ====

====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.

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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'' 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.

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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>

===== '''Attempts to block other OpenXR runtimes (third party or other brands) from working with games'''<ref name=":2">"[https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/ovrplugin.html Meta’s OVRPlugin]" - mbucchia.github.io</ref> =====

Both Unity and Unreal Engine allow various OpenXR vendor plugins to be used, one of which is Meta's Oculus XR Plugin internally called the OVRPlugin. The OVRPlugin is a unified plugin that allows developers a single unified implementation for their Quest devices and OpenXR compatible devices for the PC. This sounds like an easy solution to target all current popular high-end VR headsets in one implementation.

Under the hood Meta has taken steps to lock down this plugin to only work with their own devices. This is done by checking the name of the runtime, the presence of the nonstandard XR_META_headset_id, and the lack of legacy OVR support. <ref name=":2" />

It would be understandable that Meta locks down their own vendor plugin if it were incompatible with other OpenXR devices, in which case the engine could fall back to another implementation. However this is not the case as Meta makes it deliberately difficult to implement such fallbacks. For example in Unity if the generic OpenXR support is enabled while the OVRPlugin is enabled it will claim incompatibility and revert this selection to just OVRPlugin.<ref name=":2" />

Workarounds have been applied that trick the OVRPlugin into thinking it is interacting with a compliant runtime after which both third party runtimes and other headset brands are known to work without issues. This demonstrates that the vendor gated checks are to broadly implemented and unnecessary for OpenXR functionality.<ref name=":2" />

Meta if willing could have resolved the issue by removing the checks for functions present in the OpenXR spec, or allowing automatic fallbacks to the generic implementation if their implementation is incompatible with the used runtime.

As the result of their actions Meta's users are now locked in Meta's own runtime and remote streaming solution if no workarounds are applied either in the game or in the runtimes of third party's. This makes it seem like only Meta's runtime is stable and compatible with the latest games. Likewise, this forces all other headset vendors to implement similar workarounds for their devices.

Game developers are adviced to avoid the OVRPlugin where possible and rely on generic OpenXR implementations that support the standard correctly. Effected users can try the Meta Plugin Compatibility option in their SteamVR settings. The latest version of Virtual Desktop should also have the workarounds implemented. Players of Unreal Engine games report that launching the game with -hmd=openxr can bypass the plugin.

==Lawsuits==

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 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.
-== Anti-consumer practices ==
+==Anti-consumer practices==
-=== Facebook <!-- Wow, we got a lot to list here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook#Criticisms_and_controversies --> ===
+===Facebook<!-- Wow, we got a lot to list here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook#Criticisms_and_controversies -->===
-==== The Linux Ban ====
+====The Linux Ban====
 In January of 2025, Meta updated their internal policies to recognize the [[free and open source software]] and operating system Linux as a "cybersecurity threat".<ref name=":1">https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20250127#sitenews</ref><ref>https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/facebook-flags-linux-topics-as-cybersecurity-threats-posts-and-users-being-blocked</ref> As part of this, many Facebook users have had their accounts either locked or muted over merely speaking of Linux, most notably DistroWatch.<ref name=":1" /> Many have called this out as irony, since Meta's infrastructure mostly runs off of Linux.<ref>https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/28/facebook_blocks_distrowatch/</ref>
-=== Meta Oculus VR ===
+===Meta Oculus VR===
-==== Oculus VR Facebook account requirement ====
+====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.
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 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'' 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.
@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 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>
+===== '''Attempts to block other OpenXR runtimes (third party or other brands) from working with games'''<ref name=":2">"[https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/ovrplugin.html Meta’s OVRPlugin]" - mbucchia.github.io</ref> =====
+Both Unity and Unreal Engine allow various OpenXR vendor plugins to be used, one of which is Meta's Oculus XR Plugin internally called the OVRPlugin. The OVRPlugin is a unified plugin that allows developers a single unified implementation for their Quest devices and OpenXR compatible devices for the PC. This sounds like an easy solution to target all current popular high-end VR headsets in one implementation.
+Under the hood Meta has taken steps to lock down this plugin to only work with their own devices. This is done by checking the name of the runtime, the presence of the nonstandard XR_META_headset_id, and the lack of legacy OVR support. <ref name=":2" />
+It would be understandable that Meta locks down their own vendor plugin if it were incompatible with other OpenXR devices, in which case the engine could fall back to another implementation. However this is not the case as Meta makes it deliberately difficult to implement such fallbacks. For example in Unity if the generic OpenXR support is enabled while the OVRPlugin is enabled it will claim incompatibility and revert this selection to just OVRPlugin.<ref name=":2" />
+Workarounds have been applied that trick the OVRPlugin into thinking it is interacting with a compliant runtime after which both third party runtimes and other headset brands are known to work without issues. This demonstrates that the vendor gated checks are to broadly implemented and unnecessary for OpenXR functionality.<ref name=":2" />
+Meta if willing could have resolved the issue by removing the checks for functions present in the OpenXR spec, or allowing automatic fallbacks to the generic implementation if their implementation is incompatible with the used runtime.
+As the result of their actions Meta's users are now locked in Meta's own runtime and remote streaming solution if no workarounds are applied either in the game or in the runtimes of third party's. This makes it seem like only Meta's runtime is stable and compatible with the latest games. Likewise, this forces all other headset vendors to implement similar workarounds for their devices.
+Game developers are adviced to avoid the OVRPlugin where possible and rely on generic OpenXR implementations that support the standard correctly. Effected users can try the Meta Plugin Compatibility option in their SteamVR settings. The latest version of Virtual Desktop should also have the workarounds implemented. Players of Unreal Engine games report that launching the game with -hmd=openxr can bypass the plugin.
 ==Lawsuits<!-- I feel like this should follow the table format that I established with the Valve page -->==