Threads users issued 'warning' over new social media app

Users of the new social media platform Threads have been issued a warning about their accounts after its recent launch.

Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, released its hotly anticipated Twitter rival platform, Threads, on Thursday (6 July) and it seems to have got off to a successful start.

According to Meta’s chief Mark Zuckerberg, the app received 10 million user sign-ups within the first seven hours of launching.

The application was set up as a rival to Twitter, which was purchased by the billionaire Elon Musk in October 2022.

Since Musk’s takeover, many have been left unhappy with major changes he has made to the platform, including removing legacy verification that largely allowed users to determine the authenticity of high-profile accounts.

Threads has many similar features to Twitter and allow users to compose up to 500 characters in each post.

But, as millions of users sign up, some have noticed a rather large caveat that comes when users may want to permanently delete their Threads account, discovering that deleting their Threads profile will result in their Instagram account also being deleted.

A screenshot of the caveat was posted on Twitter. It read: “You can always delete individual posts. To delete your Threads profile and data, you’ll need to delete your Instagram account.”

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It is also confirmed in a Threads help article on Meta’s website, with many left shocked by the revelation.

“Hold on… this is nuts HWHSHSHSHE,” wrote one Twitter user.

Another said: “And to think I used to laugh at all them rappers and singers who didn’t read their contracts.”

The news even made some reconsider signing up altogether.

Someone tweeted: “LMAOOOO I AM DEFINITELY NOT JOINING THAT APP.”

Zuckerberg predicts big things for Threads and was asked whether he thought it might grow to become bigger than Twitter.

He responded: “It'll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it.

“Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will.”

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