Meta's Threads app faces regulatory hurdles in the EU
According to a spokesperson from Ireland's Data Protection Commission, Meta reportedly has no immediate plans to roll out the app in the EU.
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The backstory: The EU has been busy rolling out the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is meant to ensure big online platforms use fair practices. If a platform has more than 45 million monthly active users and a market capitalization exceeding €75 billion (US$82.5 billion), it's labeled as a "gatekeeper." So, the DMA sets rules to ensure fair play, like no self-promotion on the platforms and no merging users' personal data across different platforms.
Speaking of new things, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, dropped a fresh social media app called Threads last week. To hop on board, you'll need an Instagram account, and you can follow the same accounts you already follow on IG, making it an extension of your Insta experience. It looks a bit like Twitter, but Meta switched up some terms to make it its own thing. So instead of “tweets” and “retweets,” Threads calls them “threads” and “reposts.” It’s already been super successful, crossing the 100-million-user mark in just under a week.
It's worth noting that Meta has a track record of borrowing features from rivals, just like it did with Instagram's Reels, which resembled TikTok posts.
More recently: Last week, the EU's industry chief Thierry Breton announced that seven big players, including Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft, have officially been considered "gatekeepers" by the EU, meaning they're about to face some stricter rules coming their way.
The development: Ireland's Independent reported that Threads won't be available in the EU right from the start. According to a spokesperson from Ireland's Data Protection Commission, Meta reportedly has no immediate plans to roll out the app in the EU. This information was confirmed during a conversation with Bloomberg. Sources say that Meta hasn’t been prepared for a European launch outside the UK, mainly over these new DMA rules and its classification as a gatekeeper. Meta is waiting on more clarity surrounding the rules, and the European Commission is expected to give more guidance on the Act in September.
So, if you're in countries like Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Ireland or Belgium, you won't find Threads in your app store just yet. Meta has big plans to launch Threads in over 100 countries, but it's keeping the complete list under wraps.
Key comments:
"Europe is completely reorganizing its digital space to both better protect EU citizens and enhance innovation for EU startups and companies," said EU industry chief Thierry Breton last week in a statement.
“Our vision is that people using compatible apps will be able to follow and interact with people on Threads without having a Threads account and vice versa, ushering in a new era of diverse and interconnected networks,” said Meta.
“I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it. Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully we will,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
"A small number of large companies hold significant market power in their hands," said Europe's antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, who initially proposed the legislation, in a statement last year. "Gatekeepers enjoying an entrenched position in digital markets will have to show that they are competing fairly."
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