Meta on Thursday unveiled the app for a new social network to rival Twitter, apparently aimed at users interested in an alternative to Elon Musk’s proprietary platform.
Called Threads, the new social network is being promoted as a text-based version of the Instagram photo app, which is owned by Meta. The company says that Threads provides “a new independent space for real-time updates and public conversations.”
The app is available on the Apple and Google Android app stores in more than 100 countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, and Japan.
Users will experience a Twitter-like microblogging experience, according to screenshots provided to the press, indicating that Meta Platforms was preparing to challenge the social network head-on after its troubled acquisition by Musk, which led to a series of unpopular changes that left users and advertisers frustrated.
There are buttons to like, repost, reply, or quote a thread, as well as counters that show how many likes and replies a message has received.
“Our vision is that Themes will be a new app that puts more emphasis on text and dialogue, similar to what Instagram did for photos and video,” the company said.
Messages will be limited to 500 characters, which exceeds Twitter’s 280-character limit, and can include hyperlinks, images, and videos of up to five minutes in length.
Instagram users will be able to log in with their existing username and follow the same accounts in the new app. New users will need to open an Instagram account.
Meta has emphasized measures to protect user safety, including enforcing Instagram’s Community Guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users.
However, the new Meta platform has raised concerns about personal data privacy.
Threads may collect a wide range of personal information, including health history, finances, contacts, browsing and searches, location, purchases, and “sensitive information,” according to the data privacy policy posted on the App Store.
“All of your message topics belong to us,” Jack Dorsey, one of the founders of Twitter, said in a sarcastic tweet, accompanied by a screenshot. Musk replied, “Yes.”
One place that Themes will not be available is in the European Union, which has strict rules on the privacy of personal data.
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