Meta plans to introduce a new social network feature called Threads, aiming to attract users away from its struggling competitor, Twitter. The launch of Threads is scheduled for Thursday, but users in Europe will not be included initially, and it remains uncertain if this will change in the future.
Meta, the company operating the social media group, had previously announced that Threads would be initially rolled out in the United States and Great Britain. It was widely assumed that this was a phased release strategy, intended to gradually increase system load rather than overwhelming the platform with a global user base. This led to expectations that European users would gain access to Threads in a matter of days or weeks.
However, this is not the case. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) confirmed to the Irish newspaper Independent that the service is not currently available to EU users. Since Meta’s European headquarters are based in Ireland, the DPC holds jurisdiction over the offering.
It is important to note that the data protection authority is not actively blocking or delaying the service. Rather, Meta has not made any preparations to launch in the EU. This is likely because the social media group recognizes that the current version of Threads does not comply with European data protection regulations.
The primary issue with Threads is that it directly accesses data from Instagram, including sensitive information such as health data, location, and search history. This practice would not be permissible under EU legal requirements. Consequently, Meta seems inclined to observe the progress of the new service before deciding whether to invest additional effort in developing a version that complies with data protection regulations in Europe.
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