Meta launches its rival app Threads as it takes aim at Twitter

Meta has launched a new social media app called Threads to compete against Twitter, with the app providing “real-time updates and public conversations.”

Launch details: Known as Threads, the new app is a text-focused version of Meta’s photo-sharing app, Instagram.
* The app went live on Wednesday in over 100 countries including the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, and Japan.
* Early users of Threads include chef Gordon Ramsay, pop star Shakira, and YouTuber LadBaby, Mark Hoyle.

App features: Users get a Twitter-like microblogging experience, with posts limited to 500 characters.
* Posts can include links, photos, and videos up to five minutes long.
* Existing Instagram users can log in with their usernames and follow the same accounts on the new app.

Privacy Concerns: There are concerns surrounding data privacy with the launch of Threads.
* According to its privacy disclosure, the app could collect a range of personal information, including health, financial, contacts, browsing and search history, location data, and “sensitive info.” Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey pointed this out in a tweet, to which Elon Musk responded “yeah.”
* The app will not be launched in the European Union due to the region’s strict data privacy rules.

Analysts’ views: Analysts question the success of Threads, citing Meta’s history with standalone apps.
* Meta has previously shut down numerous standalone apps.
* Mike Proulx, a research director at Forrester, said Meta risks “spreading itself too thin” and mentioned the presence of several Twitter alternatives.

View original article on NPR

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