Meta’s attempt to replace Twitter officially kicks off tomorrow, with the Threads iPhone app launch scheduled for Thursday – but Mark Zuckerberg has opened a welcome thread, which you can already view on the web.
Initially billed as a text-based offshoot of Instagram, the world might not have paid too much attention had it not been for a sudden and urgent need for a viable Twitter replacement …
Threads iPhone app
We got a sneak preview of the Threads iPhone app a month ago, which didn’t seem all that interesting back then. As my colleague Zac Hall put it, it seemed like it was “just the comments section from Instagram.”
Meta was originally planning to launch Threads at the end of July, but brought forward its plans abruptly after Elon Musk’s latest attempt to drive people away from Twitter. With many completely unable to use the platform, Meta clearly realized that this was a golden opportunity to try to turn Threads into not just a Twitter competitor, but a potential Twitter replacement.
The free app is currently available for pre-order on the App Store.
Web preview available now
Although we weren’t expecting to see any Threads content until tomorrow, and the website home page still has nothing more than a countdown timer, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has started a thread on the fledgling platform.
Let’s do this. Welcome to Threads. 🔥
You can’t reply to it unless you’re one of a very small number given advance access (reportedly only around 3,000 people), with just under 400 replies and a thousand likes at the time of writing.
The web interface is best described as super-minimalist, as seen in the above screengrab.
Instagram links now, Fediverse integration ‘soon’
Naturally, as an Instagram offshoot, you’ll be able to use your existing ‘gram account to use Threads, and you’ll be able to access people’s Instagram profiles through the app.
The company says that it won’t be offering Fediverse integration at launch, but this is promised “soon.”
Soon, you’ll be able to follow and interact with people on other fediverse platforms, like Mastodon. They can also find people on Threads using full usernames, like @zuck@threads.net.
No EU availability at launch
However, one big downside to Threads is the lack of privacy protection. The Threads app seemingly has all the same data-harvesting warnings as Facebook and Instagram – and concerns about that mean that the app won’t initially launch in the European Union.
The Irish Independent reports that Meta wants to be able to import personal data from the Instagram app in order to drive personalized ads within the Threads app, and that would not be compliant with EU privacy law.
Meta will not launch its new Twitter rival, Threads, in Ireland or the EU for the foreseeable future […]
A spokesperson for Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) said that the regulator had been in contact about the new service and that it would not be rolled out in the EU “at this point”.
The new Threads platform is designed to import data from Instagram, including behavioural and advertising information.
That puts a pretty big dent in ambitions to replace Twitter globally.
Threads will launch in the UK, as that is no longer covered by GDPR. So, er, yay Brexit? Entitling UK users to the same crappy privacy protections as US ones.
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