You can now join Meta’s Twitter rival, Threads: Launched as a competitor to Twitter, Meta’s new platform is far from a perfect clone

Popular Science ^ | 07/06/2023 | SARA KILEY WATSON

[SeekAndFind]

On Wednesday evening, Meta released their “friendly” alternative to Twitter called Threads. Within seven hours of its launch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg claimed that 10 million people have signed up.

The Instagram-linked competitor (you currently need an Instagram account to sign up for Threads) currently looks more or less just like Twitter. Users can post text-based messages up to 500 characters, as well as videos or photos, and respond to or repost other posts. However, unlike Twitter, direct messaging is currently unavailable, and hashtags are nowhere to be found. Also, if you decide Threads isn’t for you, the only way to delete your account is by axing your entire Instagram account.

[Related: Twitter alternative Bluesky is fun, friendly, and kind of empty.]

The app is apparently available in over 100 countries on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Notably not included is the EU, which recently passed a law to limit how big tech companies can share data. Even in the countries where it is allowed, the app has numerous questionable security policy items—including how the app can collect sensitive personal data, data about your location, and personal health and body data. (At the time of writing, a PopSci staff member was able to create an account from an EU residence.)

Twitter’s user experience has took a downturn since Elon Musk took the helm. Users recently reported inability to read tweets or even access the social media platform. Last Friday, new “temporary limits” put a cap on how many tweets users could see per day, with a boost for premium Twitter Blue users. The website additionally instituted account-only access to the previously free-to-access website, leading to a multitude of problems. Then on Wednesday, Twitter quietly lifted the account-only ban.

There are a number of Twitter alternatives that predate Threads, however none of which have caught fire in the same manner as Meta’s attempt. Mastodon has been slow to attract much of a crowd, while former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s alternative Bluesky remains in a closed beta testing phase.

[Herodes]

No thanks...you join instead...

[1Old Pro]

The media was wetting their pants in excitement, amazing how they now HATE Musk and twitter because they cannot suppress free speech.

[SeekAndFind]

Meta Launches Data-Harvesting Twitter Clone, Immediately Starts Censoring

[EXCERPT]

Meta claims that over 10 million people had signed up for it's Twitter competitor, Threads, in what CEO Mark Zuckerberg framed as a "friendly" alternative to the little blue bird.

"Let's do this. Welcome to Threads," wrote Zuckerberg in his first post on the app, which is a "text-based conversation app" where users can publish posts up to 500 characters long, and allows people to post links, photos and videos.

Threads is directly linked to Meta-owned Instagram, which has over 2 billion users. The Twitter competitor is being rolled out in over 100 countries for iOS and Android.

"The goal is to keep it friendly as it expands. I think it’s possible and will ultimately be the key to its success," wrote Zuckerberg in a Wednesday post, casting the service as a more wholesome substitute to Twitter. "That’s one reason why Twitter never succeeded as much as I think it should have, and we want to do it differently."

Meanwhile, data privacy and censorship concerns have emerged, with former Twitter owner Jack Dorsey highlighting the vast amount of data collected by Threads.

All your Threads are belong to us https://t.co/FfrIcUng5O pic.twitter.com/V7xbMOfINt — jack (@jack) July 4, 2023

As journalist Michael Shellenberger notes,

Within a few hours of launching, Threads was already secretly censoring users and not offering them the right to appeal.

...

Meta is already too powerful. One company controls what much of the public is allowed to see. And if Threads succeeds, it will have 80% of the global market outside of Russia and China, according to one industry insider. As such, it’s reasonable to expect that Meta will censor precisely the same way the large news media corporations, including the New York Times, and corporate advertisers want it to. More censorship is what the mainstream news media, big corporations, and their celebrity pitch people have been demanding.

...additionally, Unlike Twitter, Threads collects data about "Health & Fitness," "Financial Info," "Sensitive Info," and "Other Data.”

What's 'other data'?

Shellenberger further noted that within hours of launching, Threads was already secretly censoring users and not offering them the right to appeal.

.@meta /IG just released their new threads platform and I’ve been informed by multiple users that I’m censored on their new platform.

Sheesh, can’t a dude catch a break.@elonmusk doesn’t have me censored pic.twitter.com/WevfHx04qw

[Boogieman]

Cool, another social media thing I can ignore.

[Lockbox]

I posted a joke, my followers laughed..... Threads laughed 🧐

[PGR88]

I only joined Twitter because Musk took it over, revealed the woke-government evil that was taking place, and fired 80% of the existing staff

twitter is a great way to follow people I am interested in - experts in their field, scientists, thought-leaders, etc...

I don’t use it to follow the Kardashians

I wouldn’t be surprised AT ALL if it was revealed that Zuckerberg is establishing “Threads” under some $$ massive, secret contract with the Dept. of Homeland Security.

[CarmichaelPatriot]

Fuckerburgs attempt to bring down Elon will fail.

[Reno89519]

I have no interest in joining Threads, too many different sites out there already, some are a bit of an echo chamber, which is what this might be. But I did note that that gained 30-40 million members this morning without crashing. Recall Trump’s “Truth” that broke down and took months for us to get online. Bad hiring choices, like hiring members of congress to run an IT business (e.g., Devin Nunes)!

[Leep]

Am i missing something? Meta has been around for several years and they are acting like its new?

[avital2]

why would i want to help Zuck expand? he censored us during 2020 election.

[windsorknot]

Sorry, Zuck. You suck. No Threads for me.

[Fresh Wind]

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

Suckerberg can KMHA!

[bigbob]

I only use Facebook for the interest groups, and silly things like “Idiots of Yellowstone”. No need for more than Twitter for discussion - in fact Truth Social is a pretty poor copy as well, not much interesting content and it never seems to display the most recent posts no matter what. Trump will get back on Twitter eventually and that will render Truth pretty much redundant. Threads won’t get far IMHO.

[cp124]

Deep state propaganda.

[newzjunkey]

I’ll pass

[Brian Griffin]

On such sites I tend to like the animal videos.

I have no interest in the Nowheresville Nothings.

[isthisnickcool]

Zucky needs another avenue to steal elections?

[circlecity]

I’m sure this will go over as big as the whole “Meta Universe” idea.