William PalinJul 6, 2023
John Gruber

Threads is the most fun, most interesting new product of the year, and no one in the E.U. can use it, or will be able to use it anytime soon, because their own elected officials passed a law that effectively bans it.

Nice job. Have fun over here in the library.

Jul 6, 2023 at 3:58pmIvory for iOS
Show thread(((Jyrki Wahlstedt)))Jul 6, 2023
@gruber Yup, and Meta is the most reliable company on Earth 😅
Show threadJohn GruberJul 7, 2023
@jyrkiw You say that, but technically, I’d say Threads might be the most impressive online launch in the history of the internet. Incredible to just flip the switch and welcome 30 million new users in a day and, minor glitches aside, the thing just works.
Show threadɈƨɿoʜnɘvυႧ nɘɈƨɿɒƆJul 7, 2023
@gruber @jyrkiw Tried to stop using Threads without deleting your Instagram-Account?
Show threadSteffen VoßJul 7, 2023
@cduvenhorst @gruber @jyrkiw And that is a feature, not an accident or a glitch. This way user numbers can only grow... It's a trap.
Show threadBJ KennedyJul 7, 2023
@cduvenhorst @gruber @jyrkiw I'm probably not going to use threads anytime soon, but if that's the launch bug that people are talking about, that's one of the cleanest launches in history.
Show threadɈƨɿoʜnɘvυႧ nɘɈƨɿɒƆJul 7, 2023
@gruber @jyrkiw You say that, but I‘d say that ban was not for technical reasons. They simply do not comply with the data privacy rules over here.
Show threadPhilipKingJul 7, 2023
@cduvenhorst @gruber @jyrkiw shouldn’t it be me who gets to choose what I do with my data. I’m quite happy to exchange my word game posts and flower photos for the opportunity to use Instagram and threads.
Show threadɈƨɿoʜnɘvυႧ nɘɈƨɿɒƆJul 7, 2023
@PhilipKing @gruber @jyrkiw It should be you! This is what the GDPR is all about. Meta instead, likes to spy on you without giving you a choice.
Show threadPhilipKingJul 7, 2023
@cduvenhorst @gruber @jyrkiw it does give you a choice. It clearly lists what data they use and what data they might use in the future. I can therefore make a choice about using their apps or not.
It’s not about GDPR it’s because of the EU Gatekeeping rules which class Meta as a gatekeeper. So in the EU they can’t automatically share your Instagram data with Threads to create an account and bring across your followers.
Show threadɈƨɿoʜnɘvυႧ nɘɈƨɿɒƆJul 23, 2023
@PhilipKing @gruber @jyrkiw Sorry, haven‘t seen your response. It‘s GDPR. ;-) There is an earmarking rule which prevents use of collected data for a different purpose.
Show threadPhilipKingJul 23, 2023
@cduvenhorst @gruber @jyrkiw But they tell you what data they collect and in the terms and conditions what it will be used for so I can make a choice.
Show threadɈƨɿoʜnɘvυႧ nɘɈƨɿɒƆJul 23, 2023
@PhilipKing @gruber @jyrkiw As you consent to Insta data collection you did not consent to thread data collection.
Show threadPhilipKingJul 23, 2023
@cduvenhorst @gruber @jyrkiw Didn’t I? I’m sure I made a conscious decision to before downloading the app and it asked me when I started using it.
Show threadɈƨɿoʜnɘvυႧ nɘɈƨɿɒƆJul 23, 2023
@PhilipKing @gruber @jyrkiw You are perfectly right. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act-package
The Digital Services Act package

The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act aim to create a safer digital space where the fundamental rights of users are protected and to establish a level playing field for businesses.

Shaping Europe’s digital future
Show thread(((Jyrki Wahlstedt)))Jul 7, 2023
@gruber No doubt, but there are myriads of great technical achievements of very adverse moral value on humanity. And Meta is a privacy abuser.
Show threadTito CiuroJul 7, 2023
@gruber @jyrkiw That yes. But fun? 🙄
Show threadJohn GruberJul 8, 2023
@titociuro @jyrkiw It really is fun and jovial over there. Also, personally, I find it fun to see something successfully launch at unprecedented scale.
Show threadTito CiuroJul 8, 2023
@gruber @jyrkiw Interesting. For sure, the launch has been very impressive, though not entirely unexpected given that they can funnel up to what, 3.4B people? What I’m surprised is about the joviality. Would not expected that from Meta. If FB is any indication, I would expect Threads to inherit the problems FB has. But hey, let’s not pop that balloon. Good for them.
Show thread4am ❧Jul 7, 2023

@gruber John, we've known each other for a long time, and this is the most tone deaf take I've ever heard from you.

The primary feature of a social network is content moderation. So far, Facebook's approach to content moderation on Threads is to ban nudity, warn about curse words, and let a global, organized harassment campaign of homophobic and transphobic abuse continue unabated.

Speedrunning the world's largest Nazi bar is not an achievement; it's a colossal failure.

Show threadKaryl  Jul 7, 2023
@a2_4am @gruber Agreed, and another absolutely core feature of a social network is to follow people and/or topics you care about. Having the entire app be a suggested content "For You" page filled with celebrity and influencer garbage shows they're not terribly interested in what their users actually want to see, and more about what they can get away with showing them.
Show threadJohn GruberJul 7, 2023
@a2_4am I don’t see anything like that on Threads, and have never seen anything like it on Instagram.
Show threadSteveJul 7, 2023
@gruber @a2_4am look harder.
Show thread4am ❧Jul 7, 2023
@gruber 🙄
Show threadAlex RosenbergJul 7, 2023
@gruber @a2_4am IG regularly tries to feed me right-wing extremist reels and I have to go through their terrible multi-click process to tell them not to while they continue to play that garbage on repeat while doing so.
Show threadTimJul 8, 2023

@alexr @gruber @a2_4am whereas I never see that stuff on IG. (And only very rarely on Facebook, unlike Twitter where it’s rampant.) The algorithm selects very different stuff for different people.

Admittedly I mostly follow embroiderers and other fiber artists on IG, so I think the algorithm there thinks I’m an old woman, given thr ads I get. (Which is odd, because Meta certainly knows my actual age and gender given my use of Facebook. 🤷🏻‍♂️)

Show threadAlex RosenbergJul 8, 2023
@tim1724 @gruber @a2_4am IG has no idea what to show me, but I followed IG accounts that were more visual: makers of various kinds. So, follow machinists and woodworkers and get right-wing crap.
Show threadAlex RosenbergJul 8, 2023
@tim1724 @gruber @a2_4am Before ad blocking, YouTube was showing me gun accessories that are illegal in California. One of many things I think about when I hear how smart Google engineers are.
Show thread(((Jann Gobble)))🏳️‍🌈Jul 7, 2023

@gruber @a2_4am In addition, the fact that you don't see it and many others *do* kinda says it all.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but you're not from a marginalized group from what I know. You're also white. And male.

Many, MANY of us who are not straight white Christian men have experienced hate, homophobia, and right-wing-harrasment on Meta's properties. Isn't that enough to bow out of their new platform?

We're not going back.

@alexr @silo64

Show threadKaryl  Jul 7, 2023
@gruber @a2_4am the only way I can interpret this charitably is that you don’t go on Instagram that much. Which, if you don’t, that’s fair because it kind of sucks. But all that horrible right-wing content is definitely there, and it’s not hard to find. In many cases, it will find you.
Show threadHayden Seay Jul 7, 2023
@a2_4am you must not follow gruber’s takes much, he says a lot of tone deaf stuff and then just ignores decent criticism
Show threadJason PerlowJul 7, 2023
@gruber @jyrkiw Incredibly impressive. When ActivityPub is integrated, even more impressive. I really want the mobile app to work on the Mac, though, or we get a decent website UX soon.
Show threadkeithzgJul 8, 2023
@gruber @jyrkiw I mean it's a lot less impressive when it's piggybacking on, and feeding people in from, a service that has over 2 billion active monthly users. In fact in that context it's not that impressive of a signup total yet at all!
Show threadAlex Barredo 📉Jul 6, 2023
@gruber hard disagree on every point 
Show threadSquozen 🇪🇺Jul 6, 2023
@Barredo @gruber yep. ‘I want my shiny toys and fuck the consequences’ is the attitude of a child. Sadly this planet has a lot of children on it. See also: SUVs.
Show threadMatthias BucheticsJul 7, 2023
@Squozen @Barredo @gruber it's the US way of thinking.
Show threadkiketrenadoJul 6, 2023
@Barredo @gruber +1
Show threadTonet/>Jul 8, 2023
@Barredo @gruber horrible take. I wasn’t expecting something like that from John, to be honest.
Show threadMatt BrownJul 6, 2023
@gruber That's a bad opinion! Bluesky is much more fun!
Show threadJohn GruberJul 7, 2023
@mattbrown I prefer Bluesky myself too, but alas it's not open yet.
Show threadEshu MarneediJul 6, 2023
@gruber yep
Show threadNoHomersJul 6, 2023
@gruber Meta product is fun? 🤔 I suppose if giving away all your data is "fun" as you chat with boring people and brands.
Show threadJohn GruberJul 7, 2023
@NoHomers You're not "giving away" anything other than what you type, which is the same as you're doing here.
Show threadMxhradJul 7, 2023

@gruber @NoHomers

This is absolutely not true.

Show threadPatryk ChojeckiJul 7, 2023
@gruber @NoHomers this is false
Show threadRoelant (EN)Jul 7, 2023

@cherrysandwich And that's just what they *tell* you

I'm shocked to see you actually seem to believe this @gruber. But perhaps you are really blissfully unaware, so giving you the benefit of the doubt: please review the attached image that @kreig helpfully posted.* In just a few hours his phone blocked over 200 data tracking attempts form Threads:

« These include things like "headphone status" and "screen density." »

Cc: @NoHomers

*) See: https://writing.exchange/@kreig/110664764474921792

Kreig Durham (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image The Zuck suck is in full swing. In the few short hours since I started using #Threads, #DuckDuckGo has already blocked over 200 data tracking attempts. These include things like "headphone status" and "screen density." EDIT for clarity: The 200+ attempts *may* have been overcounted as DDG hadn't tooled their VPN for Threads yet. #DataPrivacy #Meta #ThreadsApp EDIT: To anyone who is using this post to bash anyone and everyone who is using Threads, please read this https://writing.exchange/@kreig/110673494921536371

Writing Exchange
Show threadSebastien 🌍 🇵🇸🇺🇦 Jul 7, 2023
@roelant that's why you need to be able to choose very advanced gatekeepers 🤷🏽‍♂️ @cherrysandwich @gruber @kreig @NoHomers
Show threadnoodlejetski Jul 7, 2023
@gruber I'm fairly sure my Mastodon client doesn't record what buttons I click, what profiles do I open, and whose posts do I spend time reading the longest in order to profile me and serve me ads, or in order to try and alter my mood, the way the small company behind Threads has been doing.
@NoHomers
Show threadComrade WeezJul 7, 2023
@gruber 'what you type' is otherwise known as 'content' which drives traffic to the site. It may also contain personal information. You are dreadfully naïve. @NoHomers
Show threadNMDoernerJul 7, 2023

@gruber @NoHomers

That is so wrong in so many ways, and you know it, John. They collect so much more data.

But that ignorance is part of the problem, actually...

Show threadRonJul 7, 2023
@cdfinder @gruber @NoHomers we must remember he needs advertisers and reach for his platform. That’s all this is about - he needs audience for $$$
Show threadMatthias BucheticsJul 7, 2023
@gruber @NoHomers if that would be the case, Threads would have launched in the EU without an issue.
Show threadJohnJul 7, 2023
@gruber @NoHomers oh dear 😅
Show threadCamilo Bravo Jul 13, 2023
@gruber WAT
Show threadJohn GruberJul 13, 2023
@cambraca I'm totally serious. What exactly do you think Threads can glean about users other than what they're posting/doing in the app?
Show threadCamilo Bravo Jul 13, 2023
@gruber what about the ridiculously long list of app permissions, which includes health data, "sensitive info", "browsing history" and my personal favorite: "other data"?
Show threadManuel Alonso-MartinezJul 14, 2023
@cambraca Where is that list of app permissions? I need to see it!
Show threadAndreas LanjerudJul 15, 2023
@cambraca @gruber I don't understand why we should be concerned that American data from Tiktok etc are stored on Chinese servers, while at the same time it shouldn't be an issue that European data is stored in American servers.
Show threadAustenJul 13, 2023

@gruber

I can’t help but cry hypocrisy here.

Not that long ago you were calling for Facebook to be broken up over privacy concerns.

https://daringfireball.net/linked/2019/01/18/facebook-ftc-fine

You’ve also posted a lot of articles rightly calling out Facebooks privacy issues.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=site:daringfireball.net+Facebook+privacy&ia=web

Now Meta bring out something interesting and privacy concerns are brushed off with disregard.

Sorry, Even a ‘Record-Setting’ Fine Isn’t Going to Cut It

Link to: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/01/18/us-regulators-have-met-discuss-imposing-record-setting-fine-against-facebook-some-its-privacy-violations/?utm_term=.e698d745683b

Daring Fireball
Show threadLauren Wu (Kayna on TFT)Jul 30, 2023

@Austen @huey @gruber Ars Technica had great article summarizing & comparing the privacy policies of Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon etc.

The section on Threads is yikes

https://www.wired.com/story/meta-twitter-threads-bluesky-spill-hive-mastodon-privacy-comparison/

How Threads' Privacy Policy Compares to Twitter's (and Its Rivals')

Here’s what personal data is collected by Meta’s Threads, as well as by Twitter, Bluesky, Mastodon, Spill, and Hive Social.

WIRED