Is the new social network Threads a privacy nightmare? An expert argues that it doesn’t represent a new threat to people already using Facebook or Instagram.
Since its October 2022 takeover by Tesla founder Elon Musk, Twitter has been plagued by seemingly constant tech issues or been sucked into the vortex of its new owner’s propensity for divisive statements. Advertisers have reportedly fled the site, while many users have been on the hunt for an alternative place to share their latest news.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, hopes it can take advantage. On Thursday, it launched a new rival to Twitter, called Threads.
Because the app ties into Instagram, users of the popular photo and video social network can link their accounts between the two, sharing Threads messages on Instagram and following users from one app on the other—allowing them to quickly make connections and build followers. Given Instagram’s reach—it has comfortably north of one billion users—many analysts expect Threads to be a serious threat to Twitter. The format is similar: post short messages for others to like, share, or comment on. But there are differences: messages can be 500 characters versus Twitter’s 280, videos can be 5 minutes versus 2 minutes 20 seconds. And there’s no direct messaging or hashtags, at least for now. It’s currently available in 100 countries, including the United States.
Not everyone is jumping on the Threads bandwagon, though. Concerns have been raised about how much personal information users have to sign over to join the social network. TechCrunch said the app “already looks like a privacy nightmare,” reporting it “may collect highly sensitive information about users in order to profile their digital activity—including health and financial data, precise location, browsing history, contacts, search history, and other sensitive information.” The app currently isn’t available in the European Union, which has tougher privacy rules than the United States does.
Should disillusioned Twitter users head over to Threads or hold back due to privacy concerns? Garrett Johnson, an assistant professor of marketing at Boston University Questrom School of Business, has some answers below. Johnson has studied online privacy and behavioral targeting, particularly when it comes to online advertising. Johnson has also examined the EU’s online privacy law, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which was recently used to fine Meta $1.3 billion.
The post Is Threads bad for privacy? Not uniquely, expert says appeared first on Futurity.
from Futurity https://ift.tt/Vjz9seZ
No comments:
Post a Comment