Threads was launched unexpectedly this summer, as you may recall, but it encountered an insurmountable wall in the Old Continent, this wall was called the European Union and its Commission. Because in Europe we may be old, but no one takes care of our rights like we do.
After its launch in over 100 countries – including the US and the UK – in mid-2023, Meta’s Twitter competitor has arrived in the EU and its 448 million citizens.
The Twitter competitor of Meta, Threads, is now available in the European Union, according to its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. “Today we are opening Threads to more European countries,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post about Threads.
A very difficult path because of the regulators
The launch comes after the service debuted in the United States and in over 100 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, in July 2023.
But until now, Threads was not available to the 448 million people living in the EU, and the company has even blocked access to the service to EU users through VPN.
To coincide with today’s launch, Meta offers European users the ability to browse Threads without needing a profile. However, to post or interact with content, an Instagram account will still be required.
The company’s delay in launching the service in EU countries has been largely attributed to the recent introduction in the block of the Digital Markets Law, a comprehensive legislative text designed to curb abuses by large technology companies and level the playing field.
Although Meta has not directly mentioned the regulation, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, has attributed the delay to “the complexity of complying with some of the laws that will come into effect next year”.
Companies like Meta, designated as “gatekeepers” by the DMA, have until March 2024 to meet their requirements.
