Earlier this month, the internet was caught into a storm with the release of Meta’s Threads. The new app is Meta’s alternative and competitor to Twitter. The app became a sensation since its release gaining more than 100 Million users in a week. Despite its limited availability, the app made a remarkable and impressive start. Threads is available in over 100 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. However, Meta has chosen not to launch the app in Europe. Furthermore, users trying to get a glimpse of the app via VPN are now being blocked!
Meta confirms it’s blocking VPN access from Europe to Threads
It’s common for users to head to VPNs in order to get access to apps and services that are not available in their region. Since Threads was not available in Europe, many users decided to go through the VPN route to try the app. It’s not surprising; the app piqued the curiosity of many users. It arrived with the bold promise of replacing Twitter and also went viral with many users downloading it to experiment with the new platform. Sadly, European users must patiently await Meta’s decision to launch the app in the region. The firm has just confirmed it’s blocking users in European countries that use Threads via VPN. That results in profiles and content not loading and notifications not working. Meta left the following statement:
“Threads is currently unavailable in most European countries and we have taken further measures to prevent people from those countries accessing threads. Europe continues to be a very important market for Meta and we hope to be able to bring Threads to more countries in the future,” said Meta.
Meta did not specify why it has chosen to not bring Threads to Europe at this point. However, it seems to be waiting for the upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA is a new European law aiming to prevent big techs that connect consumers with content, goods, and services from abusing their market power. Meta is likely waiting for the rules to be fully exposed. After that, it can adapt Threads and avoid problems with the court.
Why Threads is Not Available in Europe?
Threads are likely absent from Europe due to the current regulations in the region. The info provided about the app’s privacy via mandatory disclosures required on iOS shows the app may collect highly sensitive information about users. That collection is to profile their digital activity and include health and financial data. It also includes precise location, browsing history, contacts, search history, and other sensitive data.
Meta is known for making money from tracking and profiling web users to sell their attention via its behavioral advertising microtargeting tools. Due to the laws in Europe, the question is whether the company will be able to launch Threads in Europe.
Under the current EU law, sensitive information such as health data also requires an even higher standard of explicit consent to be legally processed in order to be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation. So Meta would need to ask and obtain specific permission for processing sensitive data like health into. Moreover, the incoming EU regulations will ban the use of sensitive data for ads entirely. They may require explicit consent for tech giants to combine data for ad profiling. So the future of Threads in Europe is uncertain unless Meta decides to comply with all the upcoming rules and launch the app in the region.
Will the app ever launch in Europe? Should I stop using VPN?
It may take a while for you users in Europe to get access to Threads, but there is still hope. As the firm clearly states “Europe continues to be a very important market…”. We believe that the app will reach the region, but until then, it’s better to not risk being banned. Threads are associated with your Instagram account. So if you get a ban now, chances are that you will not be able to use your account in the future.
