Meta's Threads App: A new contender to replace Twitter, available now

It has been no secret that Meta has been working on a new app to directly compete with Twitter for a while now, in response to the multiple controversies that the microblogging platform has been embroiled in since Elon Musk took the helm. And today the big tech giant has finally released its new service called Threads. Threads is available on iOS and Android in 100 countries, excluding the EU due to concerns about data privacy regulations (we'll expand on this later). The app is closely tied to Instagram and allows users of the photo-sharing social network to post short updates, including text up to 500 characters, links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes long (In contrast to X free version, which only allows 280 characters and 140-second videos). Naturally, we can also expect basic features such as thread creation, comments, mentions, likes, reposting threads, following profiles, and more, as well as exclusive Instagram-related features, such as the ability to publish a thread on your Instagram feed or add it to your Instagram stories (in the form of a visual screenshot similar to Artifact).

Both services are so closely linked that users must have Instagram credentials to log in to Threads (at least for now), and their username and verification status will carry over, as well as the rest of their account details and block lists. The platform also shares most of Instagram's Community Guidelines, which means it likely has the same rules regarding what Meta considers sensitive and unacceptable content.

The company also revealed that it currently does not have support for the ActivityPub protocol, but plans to add Fediverse integration, allowing interaction with users on other federated apps like Mastodon or Friendica. One of the biggest advantages of adopting a decentralized protocol is that if you ever stop using Threads or the platform shuts down, you should be able to take your audience with you to another server. However, Meta's entry into the decentralized social web has raised concerns about its dominance in the market and has drawn comparisons to Google's strategy with web-based email. It is also worth noting that Meta has a history of shutting down standalone apps, including Boomerang, Hyperlapse, IGTV, and previous iterations of Threads (hehe), especially if they are born as a service linked to Instagram.

Threads appears to be emerging as one of the most promising alternatives to Twitter, but one major drawback of the platform is its lack of privacy protection, which is a common concern with many of Meta's products. The app has faced privacy concerns due to its extensive data collection practices, which encompass various types of data including health, finances, purchases, contacts information, usage data, location data, user-generated content, search and browsing history, identifiers, diagnostics, and probably a bunch more as Meta aims to import personal data from Instagram for personalized ads. This led to its initial unavailability in the European Union, due to legal uncertainty surrounding data use under the Digital Markets Act. Meta was fined approximately $1.3 billion for exporting EU user data to the US, further contributing to their caution in the EU market. Nevertheless, Threads will be launched in the UK, as it is no longer covered by GDPR. This means that similar privacy protections as in the US will be in place.

If these concerns are reason enough for you to avoid entering the Zuckerverse, or if you're interested in exploring other alternatives that have gained popularity in recent months, you may want to stick to Mastodon or take a look at Bluesky, Post News, Hive Social, or Substack Notes