Automatically creating a shadow account for everyone on Instagram?
Even allowing people to follow that account?
Sounds like they really wanted to push Threads out the door in a big way.
this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
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They're doing some dodgy stuff with your data, that's for sure. But the sign-up is smooth. Instagram has a LOT of users, and Meta is leveraging that and making it super easy to share to IG that you have made said threads account (and if you don't, they will do it for you). The FOMO is real.
They have taken the biggest challenge to use a new social media platform, rebuilding your spidery web of follows, mutuals, weird interests, and friends, and made it basically transparent. It's a UX marvel. The sign-up numbers reflect that IMO.
Sharing data of users from one company to another company without their consent is literally what GDPR exists to stop. Instagram is one company. Threads is another company.
If it isn't oogie boogie then it literally wouldn't have massive legislation against it preventing it worldwide for eu citizens.
Is threads a separate company though? It's pretty explicit in saying "Threads an Instagram App"
In European law it doesn't matter. You try and bypass laws and the courts have none of it. It's very "fuck around find out". They already decided against them for antitrust for doing exactly that.
If you bypass shit in the EU they slap you with something else and make an example of you.
Account linking is usually done through a system that you opt into, agreeing to have that link.
This is entirely different, it's just "fuck it we've got all this data, we'll share it across and use it regardless of consent or not".
While for other things it's a completely external registration, for example I have a Steam account but also have to make a completely separate Capcom account for Street Fighter, then link the two together.
The key component is that the end user consents before any data is shared, whereas Meta's approach is just to do it regardless of consent, treating your private information as something you don't have a right to control.