In a move to address user concerns, Meta has announced its plans to introduce a separate account deletion feature for Threads, its text-based social network. Currently, users have no option to delete their Threads account without deleting their Instagram account as well. The new feature is expected to roll out by December, allowing users to have more control over their Threads account.
Key Takeaway
Meta is working on launching a separate account deletion feature for Threads, alleviating the need to delete an entire Instagram account. The technical challenges associated with the integration of Threads with Instagram necessitated the initial absence of this feature.
Addressing User Concerns
Threads, being closely linked to Instagram, posed a dilemma for Meta in handling account deletion requests. At the initial launch, it was technically challenging to separate the two accounts, resulting in users having no option to delete their Threads account without affecting their overall Instagram account. To address this issue, Meta provided alternative tools such as deactivating the account, setting it to private, or deleting individual threads.
Michel Protti, Meta’s chief privacy officer for product, shed light on the technical complexities involved, stating, “Technically, it was extremely challenging to allow deletion of a separate Threads account without also deleting your overall Instagram account out of the gate. So we paid particular attention to ensuring the user could still exercise their deletion rights, by deactivating the account to sort of hide all content, setting it to private, or deleting individual threads.”
Future Integration with the Fediverse
While the separate account deletion feature is in the works, Meta is simultaneously exploring integration possibilities for Threads with the Fediverse, a federation of interoperable social networks. However, the company is carefully evaluating scenarios where Threads posts may be transmitted to other servers and subsequently deleted by the author.
The Journey of Threads So Far
After its launch in July, Threads gained significant traction, surpassing 100 million sign-ups. However, the platform’s popularity has waned in recent months. To reinvigorate user engagement, Meta has introduced eagerly awaited features such as a following feed, a web app, and full-text search.
In a recent Instagram Stories AMA, Adam Mosseri, the head of the Threads app, acknowledged the need to enhance the overall user experience. He emphasized the importance of better recommendations for accounts, improved messaging functionality, and the introduction of an edit button for posts.
An analysis by Insider Intelligence indicates that Threads currently has 23.7 million monthly active users in the U.S. However, it still lags behind platforms like Reddit and Twitter in terms of user base.
