As Instagram’s new messaging app, Threads, prepares to launch tomorrow, it looks like European Union (EU) residents will have to wait patiently on the sidelines.
Independent.ie has just revealed that Instagram’s new app, Threads, will not be launching with us. The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has confirmed that the Twitter rival does not should arrive initially only in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom.
For once, it wasn’t the DCP that explicitly blocked the launch of Instagram Threads, but Meta, Instagram’s parent company, that chose not to introduce the app in the EU at this time. Tomorrow, the application should therefore only be available across the Atlantic and across the Channel, and not here.
Why is Meta delaying the launch of Threads in Europe?
Meta did not specify why no launch of the application was currently planned in France. However, this move is likely to avoid potential conflicts with regulators. Meta surely wants to make sure that Threads complies with European privacy laws before making it available to European users.
The EU requires companies to abide by much stricter privacy laws, and the data collection practices of Threads probably doesn’t align with current regulations yet.
We imagine that the main concern with Threads is its ability to aggregate data from Instagram, including sensitive information such as health data, location details and search history. The DPC had already intervened in Meta’s plan to introduce advertisements in WhatsApp that would collect data from Facebook and WhatsApp, so it is likely that Meta does not want to have to justify itself to the Data Protection Commission again.
Anyway, for users who are in eligible countries, they can already access the app’s website, which features a countdown to release and a QR code for downloading the mobile application. The website’s download page currently offers a pre-order button for the iOS app, while the Play Store option says the app will be available soon.
