Threads: Why Europe has to wait for the new Meta app

What is behind Threads?

Threads is a social networking service from the Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to post and share text, images, and videos. It also enables users to interact with others' posts through replies, reposts, and likes.

Instagram originally launched Threads as a separate app in 2019. At that time, the Instagram extension included features similar to Snapchat. However, Instagram discontinued that version of Threads in 2021. The company wanted to focus on strengthening its main apps and expanding features on those platforms. Now, there is a relaunch of the app. This time, too, there is a model: the features are based on those of Twitter.

Why Threads did not launch in Europe

Since July, Threads has been available in app stores around the world and reached over 100 million users within its first five days – surpassing the record set just a few months earlier by the AI chatbot ChatGPT. This is despite the fact that the launch of Threads in the European Union will be delayed for several months: Meta has voluntarily refrained from introducing the app in the EU.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated regarding the EU that his company did not want to launch an app that was not sustainable for the future. This is because there are laws planned in the EU that are difficult to comply with for his company.

Various media outlets suspect that Mosseri may be referring to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This act is intended to better protect the privacy of users in the EU and includes, among other things, stricter requirements for online platforms for example, when it comes to consolidating data from different services, as is the case with Threads. Using Threads requires an Instagram account, from which data is transferred to Threads to make it easier for users to follow their friends and favorite accounts.

Criticism of Threads: What are the details?

Even though the delayed launch of Threads is not due to European data protection authorities or violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data protection experts are voicing criticism regarding the new Meta app. They are primarily criticizing the data collection policy of Threads. Similar to other Meta products, experts are expressing concerns about the large amount of private informationthat Threads collects and that ends up with Meta.

The fact that Meta struggles to protect this data adequately is evidenced by the recent fines and bansthat the company is facing in Europe:

• In May 2023, the Irish Data Protection Commission imposed a record fine of 1.2 billion euros on Meta. The reason was the transfer of personal data of EU citizens to the USA and the failure to adequately protect this data from American intelligence services.
• In July 2023, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority issued a three-month ban on personalized advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

Is Threads a fresh start for Meta in terms of data protection? The US technology magazine Wired has explored this in an in-depth article examining how Threads' privacy policy compares to other social networks. The conclusion: Meta seemingly hasn't learned much from years of disputes with EU data protection authorities.

Data protection on Threads: The key facts

Since the new app is closely linked to the Meta platform Instagram, its privacy policy is based on Instagram's. In addition, there are supplementary privacy policiesfor Threads.

There are two important details that anyone interested in Threads should know regarding the privacy regulations:

• While Threads users are able to deactivate their account, fully deleting it requires deleting the linked Instagram account . This is because to use Threads, users must have an Instagram account and use Threads under their existing Instagram handle .
• With Threads, the Meta corporation—just as it does with Instagram and unlike its competitor Twitter—collects not only personal data but also sensitive data. This includes, among other things, information about sexual orientation, religion, or biometric data.

A problem with particularly data-hungry platforms is that apps like Threads are the perfect place for cybercriminals to gain access to large amounts of valuable data. Cybersecurity experts like Kaspersky report that fraud attempts and phishing sites are already appearing.

What do companies need to know if they are considering using Threads in the future?

Even before Threads is available in Europe, data privacy concerns are mounting. While it is possible to use the app via workarounds, companies looking to establish a new channel for customer communication via Threads should refrain from doing so and wait instead.

This is because Threads has announced it will join the Fediverse . This is a decentralized network of independent social media platforms that are owned by all users rather than by corporations. A well-known example of this model is Mastodon, where users can set up their own servers and become operators themselves.

Using a special protocol called ActivityPub, it is possible to comment on or share posts from connected networks without having to be registered there. In practical terms, this means that Mastodon users could be active on Threads without a Meta account and operate independently of Meta's data privacy rules .

Until that happens, companies should monitor developments closely—ideally with the support of experienced data privacy experts. If you are currently dealing with social media and data privacy in your company, now is the perfect opportunity to have your existing profiles and accounts audited for data privacy compliance. If you need to save time and require data privacy expertise, we are here to help.

Feel free to get in touch.