Threads, Twitter’s competitor, will not be launched in the European Union at this time, according to a representative from the Irish Data Protection Commission. Privacy laws in the EU prohibit the app in the region, at least in its current form. For this reason, Meta has decided to postpone its launch to avoid potential regulatory issues.
However, Meta has the option to make any necessary changes to the service and launch it in the region in the future. Despite this, Threads will be launched as an alternative to Twitter in the United States and the United Kingdom. According to the DPC, the app can collect a variety of user data, posing a significant privacy risk.
The new Meta app, which will compete with Twitter, has been launched in app stores in approximately 100 countries. However, privacy concerns from European lawmakers have prevented its launch in the European Union at this time. The new platform is designed to import data from Instagram, including behavioral and advertising information.
Users on this new platform have the ability to use their Instagram credentials to log in to Threads, and both apps share things like username, display name, profile picture, lock settings, and more. In addition, it has the ability to collect a wide range of data from its users, including contact details and financial information.
This sensitive data collected by the app poses a significant privacy risk. In this sense, in the EU format, the Irish regulator banned Meta from launching advertising services on WhatsApp that use data from Facebook or Instagram. However, in the United States, where privacy laws are less strict, the tech giant can blend data streams.
But this is not new, Meta has faced many disputes with regulators in the EU regarding handling user data. Its latest penalties included a fine of 1.2 billion euros for violating GDP regulations. DPC imposed most of these fines in Ireland, where Meta’s European headquarters are located. In 2022 alone, the regulator imposed four fines on the tech giant.
Threads app will be like Twitter, with text posts. Users can share, comment, or repost content. Additionally, Threads users will be able to follow the same accounts they have on Instagram and retain their usernames. With this new app.
– Read also: Instagram officially launches Threads app to compete with Twitter .. How to download it and create an account
