CALIFORNIA: The recently released text-based social media platform, Threads, has garnered over 22 million sign-ups since its launch. However, users contemplating deleting their Threads account might need to think twice, as doing so will result in the deletion of their Instagram account as well.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, clarified in a “Supplemental Privacy Policy” that while users can deactivate their Threads profile at any time, deleting the Threads profile requires deleting the entire Instagram account. According to Meta, Threads profiles are an integral part of users’ Instagram accounts.
This policy has taken many by surprise, potentially angering some users and dissuading others from considering Threads as an alternative to Twitter. Threads has emerged as a major competitor to Elon Musk’s Twitter, which he acquired for $44 billion last year. Despite other challengers to Twitter, Threads has attracted a substantial user base.
Meta Launches Twitter Rival ‘Threads’
The app was launched worldwide in 100 countries at 7:00 pm EDT on Wednesday and initially does not include ads. Instagram, boasting over 2 billion users, is closely linked to Threads.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, expressed his enthusiasm for the platform, announcing on Threads that it had received 10 million sign-ups within seven hours. Several notable figures and media outlets, including Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Hugh Jackman, The Washington Post, and The Economist, were among the early adopters.
During the platform’s launch, Zuckerberg personally engaged with new users, even replying to their comments. He playfully remarked on the presence of world champion MMA fighters on Threads, expressing his satisfaction with the platform’s promising start.
In a reference to the similarities between Threads and Twitter, Zuckerberg, in his first tweet in over a decade, posted a Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme. On Threads, he expressed his ambition to create a public conversations app with over 1 billion users, suggesting that Twitter had not fully achieved this goal. Zuckerberg expressed hope that Threads would excel in this regard.
