Meta’s Twitter rival Threads, aka “Threads, an Instagram app,” won’t launch globally tomorrow. The European Union (EU) privacy laws have blocked the app in the region, at least in its current format. The company may make necessary changes to its new social network service and release it in the region later.
Meta is all set to launch Threads in the US, the UK, and many other countries around the world on Thursday, July 6. The new platform, which the company describes as a “text-based conversation app,” is deeply connected to Instagram, so much so that one can use their existing Instagram credentials to log into Threads. The two apps also share the same username, display name, display picture, block settings, and more.
Moreover, Threads can collect a wide variety of data from its users. This includes location, contact information, health and fitness information, financial information, search history, browsing history, purchases, and other sensitive information. This poses a massive privacy risk to users. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and privacy laws prevent the app’s launch in the region in this format.
As a result, Meta won’t release Threads in European countries tomorrow, except for the UK—following Brexit, the UK isn’t fully subject to the EU GDPR. A spokesperson for Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), which oversees compliance with the GDPR in the country, confirmed this to a regional publication. The app isn’t blocked in the region for once and all, though. Meta could still launch once it addresses the European lawmakers’ privacy concerns.
It’s unclear if Meta plans to work out a resolution for an EU launch of Threads or skip the market and focus on other regions. But as things stand, the company hasn’t prepared for a GDPR-compliant launch of the app. As such, it won’t be available for Europeans living outside the UK anytime soon, at least not in an official capacity. Some may circumvent this by using VPN, but that’s a different story.
Meta is taking on Twitter with the Instagram Threads app
As said before, Threads is Meta’s Twitter alternative. It mimics Twitter’s text-based conversation style. The Facebook company is hurrying to enter this space to capitalize on its rival’s recent fumbles. Elon Musk has recently made several changes to Twitter that haven’t gone down well with its users. Many are leaving the platform and switching to rival services. It remains to be seen whether Meta benefits from Twitter’s troubles.
2023-07-05 15:06:33