The IT Nerd

Earlier today, I posted this story about Meta’s Twitter competitor Threads launching tomorrow, and coming for your data. I said this in the story about Meta coming for your data:

n a way, I am not surprised. This is Meta we’re talking about. And this is a company that has a history of grabbing any and every piece of data that they can get their hands on so that they can make a buck off of it. But in a way I am surprised. Because with this now becoming public, this might actually make it hard for them to get sign ups for Threads. Sure existing Facebook and Instagram users won’t care. But for someone like me who doesn’t use Meta apps, there’s ZERO chance that I would ever sign up for Threads based on this. On top of that, Meta has been smacked down by people like the EU in cases like this or this so often that you would think that they would try not to do things that would draw attention to bad behaviour like the above.

Well, it seems that Meta is aware of the implications of trying to grab that much data in the EU. The Independent is reporting that Meta is not yet ready to have a European launch of threads:

Meta will not launch its new Twitter rival, Threads, in Ireland or the EU for the foreseeable future.

It is being released in the US and the UK on Thursday of this week as an alternative to Twitter.

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”.

However, it is understood that the DPC has not actively blocked the service. Instead, the tech giant has not yet prepared the service for a European launch outside the UK, which is not fully governed by GDPR or EU privacy rules.

Sources close to Meta said that the tech giant has refrained from rolling the service out in the EU because of what the company believes is a lack of clarity contained in the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Under the Act, companies such as Meta become “gatekeepers”, with restrictions on how they mingle users’ personal data. 

I think that tells you all you need to know about Threads. From Meta’s perspective, if they can’t get your data, they won’t enter a market. Because with Meta, you are the product if they’re offering something to you for free. It should also tell you that signing up to Threads may be a bad idea if you value your privacy.

This entry was posted on July 5, 2023 at 11:50 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Facebook. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.