As a result, Facebook announced that it was removing all Oculus devices from sale in Germany. At the moment, VR headsets from this manufacturer can still be purchased at local retail stores, but there will be no new shipments. According to the German resource Heise.de , Facebook notes that the problem is temporary. They want to return VR-headsets on sale in the coming months, as soon as “negotiations with German regulators” are completed. They also explained that no one obliged to withdraw VR headsets from sale, and such a decision was made by Facebook on its own initiative as a “preventive measure.”

German media claim that Facebook’s actions may be linked to claims by the antitrust authority. In June, the Federal Office for Cartels banned the collection of data about them from different services without the consent of users. According to local laws, “the fulfillment of obligations to consumers should not depend on their consent to the processing of additional personal data that are not necessary to fulfill these obligations . “

In theory, this makes it illegal to merge Oculus and Facebook accounts, which is now required from users of VR headsets in order for them to fully use them. Recall that this is exactly the kind of unification that Facebook is going to implement by 2023. The company announced this in the middle of last August.

The Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Hamburg commented to Heise.de, in which he confirmed that the government doubts the legality of Facebook’s claims.

“The need to create an account on the social network Facebook is extremely dubious from a legal point of view, at least for those who have already bought a headset. The applicability of this requirement to future purchasers of these devices is also a matter of legal dispute. However, the final conclusions can be made after we get acquainted with the agreement itself, which we do not have yet, ”the Commissioner said.

According to him, this requirement could be a problem for both current owners of Oculus headsets and future consumers of these devices. Therefore, the commission plans to carefully consider its legality. However, he also added that regulators have not yet taken any measures in relation to Facebook and have not prohibited the sale of Oculus equipment in the country.