Threads, Meta’s Twitter Rival, Attracts 10 Million Users in Seven Hours, Raises Concerns Over Instagram Account Deletion Policy

Threads, the highly-anticipated Twitter alternative launched by Meta, has garnered an astonishing 10 million signups within a mere seven hours, according to Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and chief executive of Meta.

The text-based conversation app has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm, with prominent brands like Netflix, Amazon, NFL, and Pepsi expressing their confidence by joining the platform.

However, several notable entities such as Google, Apple, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Disney have notably refrained from participating—at least as of the time of this publication.

Threads, the newest addition to the lineup of fast-growing Twitter rivals, stands out for its unique onboarding requirement: users must have an Instagram account to join. While this integration has facilitated the app’s rapid adoption, it has also revealed an intriguing stipulation that has caught many users off guard.

In a recently released “Supplemental Privacy Policy,” Meta clarified that deleting a Threads account necessitates deleting the linked Instagram account.

Elaborating on this policy, Meta explains that the Threads profile is an integral part of the user’s Instagram account. Consequently, deactivating the Threads profile is permissible, but a complete deletion of the account can only be achieved by removing the associated Instagram account.

This discovery has raised eyebrows among the user base, prompting discussions about the implications of such a linkage and the potential consequences of deleting an Instagram account for the sake of Threads.

Threads, positioned as a rival to Twitter, aims to provide a novel text-based conversation experience to its users. The platform’s introduction on Wednesday marked its availability to users in over 100 countries, capitalizing on Instagram’s extensive reach as a popular photo-sharing platform with over 2 billion users worldwide.

Mark Zuckerberg expressed his awe at the rapid surge in Threads’ popularity, symbolizing his astonishment with an appropriate emoji. The scale and pace of the app’s growth make it the fastest-growing consumer offering to date, solidifying its position as a formidable contender in the social media landscape.

As Threads continues to captivate users and attract major brands, concerns surrounding the mandatory Instagram account deletion policy persist.

The potential implications of this linkage remain a subject of debate, as users ponder the ramifications of severing ties with their cherished Instagram accounts in order to terminate their Threads presence.

For now, the rise of Threads and its unique account deletion stipulation has become a focal point of discussion among social media enthusiasts, industry analysts, and concerned users alike.