freedom of choice or Meta trap** for Instagram users

July 6 Meta** launched application Threads , which some experts call the “Twitter* killer”. Within two hours of its launch, Threads had reached 2 million users. Four hours later, the number of users reached 5 million, and after seven hours, 10 million.

When creating a profile in the Threads app, you need to use an account Instagram, however, the policy of the new service contains an unexpected condition. It turned out that deleting the Threads account will stop the Instagram account from working.

“You can deactivate your Threads profile at any time, but you’ll need to delete your Instagram account to delete it,” the document says. “Additional Threads Privacy Policy” on the Instagram website.

The company considers the Threads profile part of the Instagram account:

“Threads is a service provided to you by Instagram and is part of the Instagram platform. The Threads service allows Instagram users to create a Threads profile within their Instagram account to view, share, and interact with content in the Threads app and website,” the Meta document says.

* The social network is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.

** The Meta company and its products (Instagram and Facebook) are recognized as extremist, their activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.