Computers & internet

Meta's Threads Launches in EU

DEC 15 2023·Updated FEB 8 2024

Story

Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Threads on Thursday that the platform expanded into the European Union on Thursday, passing through the bloc’s vast regulatory hurdles months after launching in July.
guardian
Though available in Britain, the US, and a hundred other countries, the app — which Meta hopes will reach the one billion threshold in the next few years — had been blocked in the EU due to the bloc's strict regulations of online platforms.
FOX News
As earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal, the 448M people living in the region will now be allowed to browse Threads without needing a profile. However, those wanting to post or interact with content will require an Instagram account.
Verge
The months-long delay in launching Threads in Europe has been blamed on the Digital Markets Act, which has established a rule against self-preferencing that forced Meta to stop requiring users to have an Instagram account to access the app. Big Tech companies have until March 2024 to comply with the legislation.
EuroNews
Additionally, the Digital Services Act, which came into effect in August, has imposed new responsibilities on big tech to protect users and enhance transparency about their algorithms with regulators. In January, Meta was fined €390M ($4.25M) for breaking EU data rules about ads.
BBC News
This market expansion comes as high-profile advertisers, including Apple, Disney, and IBM, halted their ad spending on Elon Musk's X platform. Threads has roughly 73M monthly global users and X has 365M, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower.
The Wall Street Journal

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

As advertisers continue to flee X due to hate speech and the promotion of fringe conspiracy theories, Threads has now entered one of the world’s largest markets with the infrastructural backing and the robust user base from Meta. While Threads did not immediately supplant X when it first launched, it is now ready to compete on the global stage and serve users fed up with Musk’s antics.

CNN

Narrative B

While the anti-free speech establishment continues to pray for the downfall of Musk, his X platform only grows stronger as users are flocking to the digital marketplace of ideas. Threads has already failed to compete with X in any way, shape, or form, despite the media’s backing and access to Meta’s large pool of users. In fact, thanks to its free speech mission, X is outcompeting even Facebook and Instagram.

Moneywise