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Meta’s new app, Threads is currently the talk of the internet. It is linked intrinsically to another Meta app, Instagram, and is designed to be a direct competitor to Twitter. You can join it quickly since you can log in with the same information that you have on Instagram. It’s a spin-off app, focused more on brief messages, similar to Twitter. However, it’s also seen its fair share of controversy in recent days.
Is the Threads app safe? That wholly depends on the data the user has on the internet. We’re going to discuss the overall data privacy and potential security concerns that Meta’s new app may or may not have.
Is there any measure of data privacy in Threads?
As it pertains to data privacy and safety on the Threads app, it really boils down to how much information you have connected to your mobile device. Major companies like Meta and Twitter aren’t discreet about the amount of data and personal information they farm from our accounts.
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However, back in 2020, Apple started requiring apps to list exactly what sort of information they collect data on. The official listing on the App Store shines some light on just how much data privacy you have while you use the app.
Data linked to you on Meta’s app
- Health & Fitness
- Financial Info
- Contact Info
- Use Content
- Browsing History
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
- Purchases
- Location
- Contacts
- Search History
- Identifiers
- Sensitive Info
- Other Data
Though, to be fair, Twitter collects a similar amount of data, but not to the extent that the new app does. Meta’s app goes a step further and inquires about the user’s health and fitness data as well.
The United States has fairly lax data-privacy laws, but this isn’t the case in Europe. The application will not be available in the European Union for this very reason. Part of the EU’s digital media laws requires certain Gatekeeper companies - which Meta is one of - to not share data between apps.
As Instagram and Threads share a wide assortment of data, the latter is presently banned across Europ; except in the United Kingdom, which is not a member of the European Union. Meta’s app, while it does present a potential for data privacy threat, it isn’t much more than your average social media app.
What is the security risk you run by using Threads?
While the major concern is the intense data collection from Meta’s app, users must also consider security concerns. There has not been any data published about such concerns or risks.
However, Meta apps Facebook and Instagram have been breached before and millions of users’ personal data were leaked on forums across the internet. It’s not an isolated incident either, so that is something to keep in mind.
Since your information will be the same across Instagram and Threads, that could make it much easier to breach the new app in the future.
A user’s risk with the app ultimately boils down to how secure their presence is online, and how much of their personal data is linked to their Meta apps. Even with that in mind, Threads is going to try and scrounge up as much of your personal data as possible. If you do not trust the app and want to delete your account, here's how to do that.
