In a recent report, it has been revealed that Meta has chosen not to launch its highly anticipated app “Threads” in European Union (EU) countries due to increased regulatory pressure. Searches in app stores in Germany, Spain, Italy, and France did not yield any results for the app as of Wednesday. While users in the US and the United Kingdom can pre-download the app from Apple’s App Store, it remains absent in the EU due to the uncertain implications of the Digital Markets Act. This legislation aims to regulate the sharing of user data across multiple platforms by Big Tech companies like Meta.
A source familiar with the matter stated that Meta is awaiting further guidance on how the new rules will impact Threads. EU regulators have been cracking down on Meta’s activities in the region, resulting in a hefty $1.3 billion fine in May for transferring European users’ data to US servers. Additionally, the EU court recently dismissed Meta’s challenge against an order from Germany’s antitrust agency to cease collecting user data.
Meta’s practices have also faced scrutiny in the US, as the Wall Street Journal reported last month that Instagram’s recommendation algorithms facilitated a “vast pedophile network” on the platform. While Meta plans to release Threads in over 100 countries initially, there has been no explanation as to why EU nations were excluded from the initial launch.
Threads is described by Meta as an online platform where communities can come together to discuss various topics. The app will be closely integrated with Instagram, allowing users to use the same username and maintain their existing followers.
This text-based app poses direct competition to Twitter, particularly after Elon Musk’s recent implementation of limits on the number of tweets users can see per day. One Meta executive referred to Threads as a “sanely run” alternative to Twitter, further fueling the rivalry between Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
As Threads prepares for its upcoming launch, Musk took a jab at the app’s user data privacy plan, mocking its intentions.
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