After a five-month wait, Meta’s social network Threads is finally accessible to people residing in the European Union. Mark Zuckerberg, in a post on Threads, welcomed the expansion, signaling the opening of Threads to more countries in Europe.
Key Takeaway
Threads, Meta’s social network, is now accessible to users in the European Union after a period of restricted access and compliance-related measures. The expansion is expected to contribute to Meta’s goal of surpassing 100 million monthly active users and marks the beginning of experimentation with ActivityPub integration.
Use without a Profile
For users in the EU, the Threads.net website offers a “Use without a profile” mode, eliminating the need to log in through Instagram. While this mode allows users to view posts, functionalities such as replying to, liking, or reposting them are unavailable.
Access Restrictions and Compliance
Initially, when Threads was launched in July, access for EU users was restricted to ensure compliance with the bloc’s regulations. This meant that users couldn’t download the app or access the social network via a web version using URLs. Additionally, measures were taken to prevent EU-based users from using a VPN to access the social network.
Official Launch and Future Plans
The official launch in the EU follows reports from the Wall Street Journal indicating Meta’s plans to introduce Threads in the region in December. This move is expected to aid Meta in surpassing 100 million monthly active users, as acknowledged by Zuckerberg during Meta’s Q3 earnings call.
ActivityPub Integration
In a recent announcement, Zuckerberg mentioned that Threads has begun experimenting with ActivityPub integration, allowing posts from the Meta-owned social network to potentially appear on compatible decentralized networks like Mastodon.
