Meta has announced that Threads, its rival to X (formerly Twitter) which originally launched back in July 2023, will be shut down on April 29 for users based in Türkiye. This is due to an order by the Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) which prohibits the sharing of data between Threads and Instagram, which Threads has been linked with ever since it launched.
Meta goes on to state that there will be no disruption to any of its other services such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp while Threads is taken offline, and that it will be "taking steps to minimise disruption for people using Threads in Türkiye." These steps include:
- Everyone using Threads in Türkiye will be notified of this decision within the Threads app before 29 April.
- People using Threads in Türkiye can choose whether to deactivate but not delete their Threads profile, or to delete their profile.
- If a person chooses to deactivate their profile, then users’ posts and interactions with other people’s posts will become visible again if Threads returns to Türkiye.
- People with deactivated profiles can download their posts and preserve their existing content through our Download Your Information tool at any time.
Meta has said that it disagrees with the order, believing that it is in compliance with all the relevant Turkish legal requirements, and that it will appeal the decision. However, the interim order leaves it with no choice but to take Threads offline while it continues to have "constructive engagement" with the TCA to bring Threads back to users in Türkiye.
Threads has faced trouble ever since launch due to the nature of its links with Instagram, including the fact that originally, profiles could not be deleted independently of Instagram. The app didn't launch in the European Union until five months later due to ensuring compliance with the region's Digital Market's Act (DMA).
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