Meta won’t launch Twitter-like Threads app in European Union due to regulatory concerns

Celebrities have already popped up on Meta’s highly anticipated Twitter-like app “Threads” ahead of its Thursday launch – while some international users will be left high and dry as Mark Zuckerberg’s social media behemoth skips launching in European Union countries.

Screenshots from multiple celebrity Threads accounts began circulating on social media on Wednesday, with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay joking, “Is this where I find the lamb sauce ??” and pop star Shakira writing a simple “Well hello Threads.” Zuckerberg also chimed in, writing “Let’s do this. Welcome to Threads.”

Some Threads posts were briefly visible in a desktop version of the site – but Meta later pulled them down and replaced them with an error message stating “Sorry, this page isn’t available” and a QR code to download the app.

While famous figures were already having fun on Threads, the app did not appear in searches of app stores in Germany, Spain, Italy, and France as of Wednesday. Listings in Apple’s App Store in the US and the United Kingdom allow users to pre-download the app ahead of its expected debut Thursday.

The app’s absence in the EU reportedly stems from lingering uncertainty about the Digital Markets Act, which regulates how Big Tech firms share user data across multiple platforms.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is “waiting for more guidance” on how the rules will affect Threads, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

EU regulators have cracked down on Meta’s operations in the region over the last few years, including a record $1.3 billion fine in May for transferring the data of European users to servers in the US.

On Tuesday, a top EU court shot down Meta’s challenge of an order by Germany’s antitrust agency to stop collecting user data, Reuters reported.

Scrutiny over Meta’s practices has also intensified in the US, with the Wall Street Journal reporting last month that Instagram’s recommendation algorithms had facilitated the existence of a “vast pedophile network” on the platform.

A Meta representative told Bloomberg that the company plans to release “Threads” in more than 100 countries to start and would add more over time, but declined to comment on why European Union nations appeared to be left off the initial list.

The Post has reached out to Meta for further comment.

Meta describes Threads as an online platform “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow.” The app will be closely tied to Instagram, with users able to use the same username and maintain their existing followers.

The text-based app is set to directly compete with Elon Musk’s Twitter, which has faced sharp criticism this week after the billionaire enacted limits on the number of tweets users could see per day.

One Meta executive described Threads as a “sanely run” alternative to Twitter – which exacerbated the animosity that led Musk to challenge Mark Zuckerberg to a cage match. Musk responded to Threads’ upcoming launch by mocking its user data privacy plan.

One Meta executive, chief product officer Chris Cox, described Threads as a “sanely run” alternative to Twitter – which exacerbated the animosity that led Musk to challenge Mark Zuckerberg to a cage match. Musk responded to Threads’ upcoming launch by mocking its user data privacy plan.

Cox also told employees that Meta was in talks with prominent figures to use the app including Oprah and the Dalai Lama, The Verge reported last month.