That’s why the Twitter alternative isn’t coming to Germany

Facebook parent company Meta has launched its Twitter alternative Threads. The app is directly connected to Instagram and is now available in over 100 countries. However, the EU and thus also Germany are not among them. The backgrounds.

Many Twitter users are dissatisfied after Elon Musk took over the short message service. The threads meta app comes in handy. The timing of the publication is therefore unlikely to be a coincidence. Because since Elon Musk has been at the helm, Twitter has been criticized more than ever.

Twitter Alternative: What is Threads?

Threads is a social media platform from Meta. The company calls the application a “text-based conversational app.” However, a closer look at the platform’s interface reveals: Threads is Meta’s answer to Twitter.

Compared to other alternatives, however, the app seems to have a decisive advantage: it is directly connected to Instagram. In concrete terms, this means that Meta can already draw on a broad user base when establishing threads. According to Meta the Twitter alternative should offer “a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations” alongside Instagram and Facebook.

How threads work

Instagram users can log into Threads with their existing account. It should also be possible to switch directly between the two apps. Threads content can also be shared via Instagram and posted on other platforms via a link.

As on other social media platforms, Threads users can create their own posts, follow other accounts, and like and share content. In addition to content from subscribed accounts, “recommended posts” should also appear in the feed. Text posts in threads can be up to 500 characters long.

It is also possible to share links, photos and videos with a length of up to five minutes. For comparison: On Twitter, the limit was originally 140 characters. Over the years it has increased to 280 characters. If you want to post longer content, you have to subscribe to the paid subscription Twitter Blue.

When will Threads come to Germany?

Threads is now available in over 100 countries, according to Meta. However, the EU and Germany are not included for the time being. The US group wants to make its Twitter alternative available in other countries. However, the company is reportedly not sure whether the app meets EU data protection requirements.

Specifically, it is about the so-called Digital Markets Act. Among other things, the regulation regulates whether and which data may flow back and forth between different platforms. For this reason, Google, for example, has also refrained from publishing its AI chatbot Google Bard in the EU.

In the case of threads, the connection to Instagram seems to be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the Twitter alternative benefits from a broad user base. On the other hand, data transfer between Instagram and Threads appears to conflict with the Digital Markets Act. It is therefore still unclear whether and when the application will come to Germany.

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