Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, informed The Verge that the company's new Threads product is yet to be launched in the European Union, citing "complying with some of the laws which will commence next year" as the reason. This appears to be inspired by the Digital Markets Act, an array of regulations governing the conduct of major tech corporations from the United States such as Meta.
Meta's introduction of their Twitter rival, Threads, has made headlines in the US, but users in the European Union (EU) still can't access the platform. Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, stated in an interview with The Verge that this was due to "complexities with complying with some of the laws coming into effect next year". This could be in reference to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which has regulations about digital gatekeepers favouring their own services and ensuring their instant messaging works with competitors. Mosseri commented that "we don't want to launch anything that isn't forward-compatible with what we know and what we think is coming", highlighting just how the complexities of new laws can prevent product launches.
Meta have yet to comment on the matter, while other tech firms, such as Apple, have expressed their worries in relation to the DMA. Apple has concerns the legislation could lead to "unnecessary privacy and security vulnerabilities" and disallow them from charging for their intellectual property. On the other hand, policymakers in the EU feel new rules are essential in making sure new and smaller players can compete fairly. It remains to be seen whether Threads will make it to the EU in the future.
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