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Tell HN: Oculus will delete purchases if you don’t switch to a meta account

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Re: Tell HN: Oculus will delete purchases if you don’t switch to a meta account

#41

Post by jjcon »

MattPalmer1086 wrote: post #38
jjcon wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren’t the only gaming company to interpret GDPR that way and they are arguably target #1 by EU regulators so they don’t have room to misinterpret Here is one of the provisions of interest: https://gdpr-info.eu/art-5-gdpr/ Ubisoft also cites GDPR provisions for deletion of inactive accounts: https://www.gamepressure.com/newsroom/ubisoft-removes-player...

This is nonsense. While you cannot keep personal data lying around forever with GDPR, deleting accounts after 6 months or a year or inactivity is a choice being made by the company. They could equally well have said that an account which was inactive for 2 years, or 3 years would be deleted and still be legally compliant.

The requirement is “no longer than necessary” - meta started migrating people away from oculus accounts with the release of the quest 2 over 2 years ago in 2020.

If you have regulators breathing down your neck being conservative on time isn’t a terrible idea.

Re: Tell HN: Oculus will delete purchases if you don’t switch to a meta account

#42

Post by jjcon »

MattPalmer1086 wrote: post #37
jjcon wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because GDPR puts restrictions on how inactive or deprecated account data can be kept - to prevent mining of forgotten accounts I suspect was the intention

GDPR just says you cannot keep personal data for longer than is required for the purpose it was collected for (with some exceptions where it can be kept longer). If you have paid for digital goods with an account, the data is clearly required! Deleting an inactive account after say a year is a choice made by the company, not directly imposed by GDPR.

The problem is that distinction isn’t made clear in the actual law - which is again - why meta is far from alone here even in the gaming space itself. It’s on the EU to clarify compliance here otherwise we will continue to have stories pop up like this.

Re: Tell HN: Oculus will delete purchases if you don’t switch to a meta account

#43

Post by latchkey »

ashwagary wrote: post #33
latchkey wrote: post #9

I sold mine and won't be buying another one, so the purchases are moot any way.

I can't blame you. I'm glad I never gave money to Facebook for an Oculus.

I'm not one of those people who hates on companies in that way. They are all evil in some form of another and life is too short.

I'm glad I tried it. The technology is pretty cool. I can see uses for it. The Saber game is a lot of fun. I just found that I'm not compatible with the device.

After some period of time, it literally made me feel nauseous sick. I felt that I could have spent time training myself, but I quickly realized it isn't worth it.

I'm not much of a game player any way. If I'm going to be on a computer, I'd rather be spending that time writing code, reading/commenting on HN, or learning new things.

Re: Tell HN: Oculus will delete purchases if you don’t switch to a meta account

#44

Post by MattPalmer1086 »

jjcon wrote: post #42
MattPalmer1086 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GDPR just says you cannot keep personal data for longer than is required for the purpose it was collected for (with some exceptions where it can be kept longer). If you have paid for digital goods with an account, the data is clearly required! Deleting an inactive account after say a year is a choice made by the company, not directly imposed by GDPR.

The problem is that distinction isn’t made clear in the actual law - which is again - why meta is far from alone here even in the gaming space itself. It’s on the EU to clarify compliance here otherwise we will continue to have stories pop up like this.

The law is deliberately silent on exactly how long "necessary" is, as it cannot possibly define that for all uses of personal data in all circumstances.

It's trying to establish principles of good personal data governance, rather than being prescriptive about all uses of data.

This does make it hard for legal teams to determine compliance I guess. But don't expect the EU to be more definite any time soon!

Re: Tell HN: Oculus will delete purchases if you don’t switch to a meta account

#45

Post by ashwagary »

latchkey wrote: post #43
ashwagary wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't blame you. I'm glad I never gave money to Facebook for an Oculus.

I'm not one of those people who hates on companies in that way. They are all evil in some form of another and life is too short. I'm glad I tried it. The technology is pretty cool. I can see uses for it. The Saber game is a lot of fun. I just found that I'm not compatible with the device. After some period of time, it literally made me feel nauseous sick. I felt that I could have spent time training myself, but I qui…

>I'm not one of those people who hates on companies in that way. They are all evil in some form of another and life is too short.

I can understand your view but find Facebook uniquely evil. Early on I opted for other VR solutions that were promoted by Valve because I knew they would eventually trample user freedom and privacy in the name of profit seeking.

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