Threads: Instagram’s big attack on Twitter does not appear in Europe

New app threads
Cancellation by privacy advocates: Instagram’s major attack on Twitter does not appear in Europe

Instagram’s Twitter alternative Threads came out on Thursday. But not in Europe. Is the thirst for data too great?

If you believe the debates on Twitter, many users are just waiting to finally be able to switch to the competitor thread. The Instagram-based app will be released on Thursday. But European users will have to be patient: Threads has been published in 100 countries, but Europe has been left out. The European laws for the protection of user data are said to be to blame.

This is reported by the Irish “Independent” with reference to the Irish data protection authority. One is with the company in discussions about the new offer, confirmed the authority of the newspaper. An introduction in Europe is therefore not planned “at the current time”. This also applies to the web version of the service. It is true that content can also be accessed there in Europe. But if you want to post or just like, you get a message that the service has not yet appeared in this region.

Data hungry as always

The most important reason is probably unresolved questions about data protection. While Instagram’s parent company Meta simply mixes up the data from its services Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp in the USA and evaluates them together for personalized advertising, this practice is explicitly prohibited in the EU. Thread is unlikely to do otherwise. According to Metas, every Instagram user should also be automatically activated for threads, where they can also follow the same users if they wish.

Threads itself is also extremely curious. On the app’s page in Apple’s App Store and the Playstore for Android smartphones, the app lists a seemingly endless list of data to be queried. From contacts, health data and location to the browser’s search history, the app picks up everything that’s possible.

However, it is important to the privacy advocates that they have not blocked the new app for publication in Europe. Meta seems to have simply not adapted threads to the stricter regulations of the EU so far. The group itself did not want to comment on the request of the “Independent”.

Best chance for threads

The app is really longed for by some Twitter users. Since Elon Musk’s takeover, Twitter has lost credibility with many users. Because Musk is pursuing a radical freedom of expression approach, many blocked users have been unblocked, while the moderation team has been reduced in size. The service caused an additional outcry last weekend with a series of enormously unpopular measures (read more here).

Even the Meta group, which is also not exactly popular, suddenly appeared to many users as a welcome alternative. “I never expected to be excited about a Twitter competitor to Meta – and hope it catches on,” one user quipped. However, European users will have to wait.

Source:Independent, Web version of Threads