- "You cant delete Threads without deleting Instagram altogether": but you can deactivate it. What's the difference, and why do I care? Without including that info, you're useless.
- "Threads collects sensitive personal information about you": How? Inferred from the things I post? Well I'll just not post those things.
- "Threads collects data about your employment": Same.
- "Threads collects data about your body": Same. Alternatively, this could come from the Health API, which I have to provide explicit permission for. Such permission was not even asked for.
- "Threads collects data about your web activity": How? It reads referrer headers. So an issue with my User Agent, if it were configured to do that. Which it isn't.
- "Threads collects data about your location". It may reverse-geocode my IP. Okay. And? Literally any analytics service with a map does the same.
1. The vast majority of the world now has access to very high or unlimited data packs. This is hardly the big issue that HackerNews makes it out to be.
2. Threads' main user base is Instagram. An hour of watching Instagram Reels is more data than the entire Threads app. I highly doubt Instagram users are data strapped.
> "my battery is drained faster"
App size has nothing to do with how much battery is drained out. If you're saying Threads is not optimized, I disagree. And again, considering the main targeted user base is Instagram and Twitter, Threads is going to be significantly better than either app in terms of battery life (little to no video options right now)
The fact that it transfers data from Instagram is already a gigantic headache for Meta. The sharing of data between Whatsapp and other Meta properties, for example, has been blocked multiple times due to EU privacy laws.
Instagram being in the clear in Europe doesn’t automatically means that Threads is, and they clearly don’t wanna take any risk by enrolling EU Instagram users semi-automatically. Moreover, the connection between the Threads account and the Instagram account (i.e. you can’t eliminate a Threads account without eliminating your Instagram account) sounds like the main culprit here.
And it’s good that it is. It’s basically a forced user retention pattern that is in place only to favor Meta.
In other words, Threads is a can of privacy worms by EU standards.
The US is still a privacy wild west and Meta actively lobbies for it to stay that way. Threads is great example of why that is.
I kinda stopped using Threads and then they started putting controversial posts on it all over my Facebook feed. Pretty clever. Now I check it often again
Sure and I'd understand if the GP said something like "nobody is using Mastodon" but that's not what they said, they just drew a comparison between Threads and other social media.
The defensiveness is off-putting. Almost like a cult slogan. I'm glad folks are enjoying Mastodon, and there's obviously users on it! Threads claims plans to federate with Mastodon after all.
> - is currently preventing Threads from trending (supposedly)
I've independently noticed this. It's extremely pronounced, hard to miss, and impossible to ignore. I don't mean just the trend list, but when you search "Threads" you get only the most obscure and irrelevant content, it's near impossible to find Threads commentary, despite I see it in prominent accounts I follow, they talk about it a lot.
All social networks, without exception, want your data, because:
1. The can target ads.
2. They can sell aggregate statistics to various parties, which informs their political and business strategy.
3. Add to this also that AI turns out needs a lot of human generated data.
I don't know how Threads sets up a looming privacy debate. It's been there for decades. Facebook exists. TikTok, Instagram, Twitter itself.
The only reason Threads is not in EU is because they rushed the launch and they've not gone through proper procedures as the "Digital Markets Act" in EU requires. Threads will be in EU, guaranteed.
- "You cant delete Threads without deleting Instagram altogether": but you can deactivate it. What's the difference, and why do I care? Without including that info, you're useless.
- "Threads collects sensitive personal information about you": How? Inferred from the things I post? Well I'll just not post those things.
- "Threads collects data about your employment": Same.
- "Threads collects data about your body": Same. Alternatively, this could come from the Health API, which I have to provide explicit permission for. Such permission was not even asked for.
- "Threads collects data about your web activity": How? It reads referrer headers. So an issue with my User Agent, if it were configured to do that. Which it isn't.
- "Threads collects data about your location". It may reverse-geocode my IP. Okay. And? Literally any analytics service with a map does the same.
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