Meta — formerly Facebook — has been under investigation from the FTC for a while. As the company continues to grow and acquire, the Federal Trade Commission has attempted to battle the company over antitrust issues.
That battle continues with a new focus on Meta VR, the division that creates virtual reality hardware and software. But will the Federal Trade Commission be able to take on the company's Metaverse plans?
FTC vs Meta VR
In a report by Bloomberg, it was revealed that the Federal Trade Commission is currently investigating Meta’s virtual reality companies. The company's VR technology is being looked into on the basis on anti-competitive behaviour.
Both the FTC and multiple U.S. States are working on the investigation. This has resulted in multiple third-party Oculus/Meta developers being questioned about the Facebook platform. For example, is Meta VR attempting to limit competition?
The outlet notes that the platform’s proprietary Oculus app store could be “discriminating against third parties that sell apps that compete with Meta’s own software”. With Oculus pushing users towards its proprietary storefront, this could be seen as an unnecessary limitation.
Another point of contention is the price of the Oculus Quest/Meta Quest headsets. With the headsets’ low price points, investigators are looking into how the company is able to undersell compared to contemporaries.
Read More: Apple isn’t remotely interested in The Metaverse
Will this limit the Metaverse?
Meta’s virtual reality division is a massive part of the company's plans to realise the dystopian concept of The Metaverse. With the company funnelling billions into making the technology a reality, everything is resting on the realisation of that idea.
However, if the Federal Trade Commission manages to take out or limit Meta’s VR division, that may have an effect on whether or not its Metaverse releases. Whether or not that's a good thing is up to you.