Threads short message service launches in the EU
Threads, the short-form messaging service from Facebook parent company Meta, launched in the EU on Thursday. The service is an alternative to Elon Musk's online platform X.
Threads is based on Meta's photo and video platform Instagram. Therefore, Instagram login data can be used to log in to Threads. You can also use the service without a profile - but then you cannot create your own posts or interact with other users' posts.
Meta left out the EU when it launched Threads in July. The company justified this with legal uncertainties with regard to "new digital laws". According to estimates, this referred to the dual package of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Since Musk bought the short message service Twitter and renamed it X, market researchers have reported that the online platform's user numbers are falling and major advertisers are pulling out. Several competing companies see an opportunity to build on Twitter's former importance with alternatives. Threads is seen as a particularly strong candidate because the service builds on existing links between hundreds of millions of already connected users. (SDA/swi)
