BRUSSELS: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, introduced its text-based app Threads to the European Union on Thursday, following its global launch in July, said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Threads, spin-off of the Instagram app, is positioned as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter) after the platform faced criticism from users and advertisers post Elon Musk’s purchase last year.
Zuckerberg welcomed users in the EU, stating, “Today we’re opening Threads to more countries in Europe.”
Although Threads had initially gone live in 100 countries earlier this year, it had not been available in the EU until now. Meta cited regulatory clarity as the reason for the delay in the social network’s introduction to Europe.
Meta, particularly under scrutiny from the EU for data usage concerns in highly targeted advertising, has been a focal point of the EU’s regulatory efforts to rein in Big Tech.
The EU has implemented stricter rules to safeguard European users online and enhance competition in an industry largely dominated by US tech giants.
Over 100 million users joined Threads within a week of its launch, excluding the EU.
Meta has now allowed EU users to create a Threads profile linked to their Instagram account, ensuring compliance with EU rules. Users can also utilize the app without a profile for browsing, sharing, and reporting content. However, direct interaction with Threads content or posting requires an Instagram sign-on.
Instagram, with around two billion global users, remains a significant platform within Meta’s portfolio. Threads has introduced new features since its launch, including a “Following Feed,” post editing capabilities, keyword search functionality, and topic tagging.
