Social Network Threads Launching in Europe
As reported by the BBC, citing The Wall Street Journal, the Threads application will be available in the European Union from December 2023, albeit in an adapted version and with significant changes to comply with new European legislation. In July 2023, Mark Zuckerberg's company Meta (Facebook, Instagram) launched the Threads application, positioning it as the main competitor to Social Network X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk. Despite Threads being accessible in the United States and more than 100 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, this service was blocked in the European Union, even through VPN.
"Today we're opening Threads to more countries in Europe. Welcome everyone,"
Zuckerberg wrote on the Threads platform on December 15.
On the path to more than 400 million potential new users in Europe for the "Twitter killer," as Zuckerberg himself characterized Threads, new EU laws adopted in August 2023 posed a challenge. Among other rules, the European Court approved the Digital Services Act (DSA) of the European Union. This law stipulates that companies like Meta cannot aggregate data obtained from European users without their prior consent on their platforms for personalized advertising. Changes in EU legislation, according to Meta's leadership, created "regulatory uncertainty" not only for the Threads entering the market but also for existing platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
The main tasks of the DSA include protecting users on major social platforms, including rules regarding advertising targeted at children, as well as requirements for companies to be transparent about their algorithms with regulatory authorities.
The months following the adoption of the DSA package have been marked by measures taken by major technology companies to adapt to the new rules. Meta, for example, launched a paid subscription for Instagram without ads to maintain profits among users who preferred not to share their data.
In European Union countries, Threads will allow users to choose between two ways of using the platform: in the first case, no account creation is required, and the user can only view messages. The second option involves creating a profile so that users can create their own posts and interact.
According to independent analyst Debra Aho Williamson in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Threads' entry into the European market signifies a growth of more than 40 million new users by 2024, posing a serious threat to Social Network X, which is already experiencing a significant exodus of users and advertisers. Among the reasons for X's decline, misinformation, the spread of fake news, anti-Semitic statements, and controversial provocative posts by Elon Musk himself are cited.