Meta on Thursday unveiled the app for a new social network that will compete with Twitter, apparently aimed at users interested in an alternative to the Elon Musk-owned platform.
Called Threads, the new social network is promoted as a text version of the photo application Instagram, owned by Meta. The company says that Threads provides “a new independent space for real-time updates and public conversations.”
The app is available in 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 press, hinting that Meta Platforms has been gearing up to directly challenge the social network following its tumultuous takeover by Musk, which it has led to a series of unpopular changes that have discouraged users and advertisers.
There are buttons for liking, republishing, replying, or quoting a thread, as well as counters that will show the number of likes and replies a message has received.
“Our vision is that Threads will be a new, more text and dialogue-focused app, modeled after what Instagram has done for photos and video,” the company said.
Messages will be limited to 500 characters, which surpasses Twitter’s limit of 280, and can include hyperlinks, photos and videos up to five minutes in length.
Instagram users will be able to log in with their current username and follow the same accounts in the new app. New users will need to open an Instagram account.
Meta emphasized measures to safeguard user safety, including enforcing Instagram’s community guidelines and providing tools to control who can mention or reply to users.
However, Meta’s new platform has raised concerns about the privacy of personal data.
Threads may collect a wide range of personal information, including health history, finances, contacts, browsing and searches, location, purchases, and “sensitive information,” according to its data privacy policy posted on the App Store.
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey said in a sarcastic tweet: “All your message threads belong to us,” accompanied by a screenshot. Musk replied: “yes.”
One place where Threads will not be available is the European Union, which has strict rules on the privacy of personal data.
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