Mark Zuckerberg set to launch Twitter competitor

Facebook owner Meta is launching its new app to rival Twitter on Thursday this week. The app, which is called Threads and is currently available for pre-order on the Apple App Store, will be linked to Instagram.

This move is the latest in a rivalry between Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Last month, the pair agreed to a physical fight, though it is unclear how serious the two men were about actually holding about.

Twitter has said that the popular user dashboard, TweetDeck will go behind a paywall in a month’s time.

The move is the latest push by Mr. Musk as he tries to get users to sign up for Twitter’s subscription service, Twitter Blue.

Last week the tech billionaire restricted the number of tweets users could see, citing extreme “data scraping”.

It appears from Meta’s Threads app that it will be a free service – and there will be no restrictions on how many posts a user can see.

“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” the description on the App Store says.

It is a Meta app, Threads will also hoover up data on your phone, including location data, purchases, and browsing history.

Several apps that bear a striking resemblance to Twitter have sprung up in recent years – such as Donald Trump’s Truth Social and Mastodon.

Another similar app, Bluesky claimed to have seen “record” traffic after Mr Musk’s move to restrict usage at the weekend.

However, Threads could be the biggest threat faced by Twitter to date.

Mark Zuckerberg has a history of borrowing other companies’ ideas – and making them work.

Meta’s Reels is widely seen as a TikTok copy, while Stories looks similar to Snapchat.

Meta has the resources to compete with Twitter. Threads will be part of the Instagram platform, so it will also be connected to hundreds of millions of accounts. It’s not starting from zero, as other would-be rivals have had to do.

GAROWE ONLINE