London: Meta (formerly Facebook) has confirmed that it is blocking EU-based users from using the newly-launched Instagram’s Threads app via VPN (Virtual Private Network). After several users complained about being unable to access the app via VPN, Meta confirmed that such attempts are being blocked, reports TechCrunch.
Launched last week, Threads is not available in the EU due to privacy concerns. According to the company, it has taken additional steps to prevent users from accessing the new social app. “Threads is not currently available in most countries in Europe and we’ve taken additional steps to prevent people based there from accessing it at this time. Europe continues to be an incredibly important market for Meta and we hope to make Threads available here in the future,” Meta was quoted as saying.
“Okay, it actually seems as if Meta truly decided to ban Europe in Threads, as it’s available globally, but not from Europe (even with a VPN),” a user wrote on Twitter. “I am a US citizen, have a US account with a US address and wireless number but staying in Europe for now and I was blocked too,” another user said. According to Meta’s privacy policy and the app’s iOS listing, the Threads app tracks users extensively, and the app may collect a variety of personal data, including highly sensitive information such as health and financial data, precise location, browsing history, contacts, and search history.
In the EU, this approach poses legal and regulatory challenges for Meta. As per the EU data protection law, Meta needs a valid legal basis to process such personal data legally for ad targeting — an area in which the company is facing increasing uncertainty as a result of a recent Court of Justice ruling, the report mentioned. Meanwhile, Meta’s Twitter rival had crossed 100 million signups in just a few days, despite not being officially rolled out in most of Europe.
