Making a stellar debut, Meta Threads, has seen over 10 million signups just hours into its launch.
Meta's new social media offering, is aimed at challenging Elon Musk's Twitter, attracted a diverse user base, including prominent celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and Hugh Jackman, as well as media outlets such as The Washington Post and The Economist.
However, despite its soaring popularity, European Union (EU) residents will have to wait a while longer to join Threads due to regulatory uncertainties.
Meta, the parent company of Threads and Instagram, has decided to withhold the app's availability in the EU temporarily.
The decision is driven by the need to navigate the complexities of data sharing between Threads and Instagram while complying with the upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The DMA is a set of new EU competition rules designed to govern the actions of major online platforms and regulate their use of market power. Meta is actively seeking further guidance on the implementation of these regulations, with the European Commission expected to provide additional clarity in September.
Presently, app stores in EU countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Ireland, and Belgium do not feature Threads.
Although the service has gone live on Thursday in the US and UK, European users will have to exercise patience until Meta resolves the regulatory concerns.
Despite the setback, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta's parent company, remains optimistic. In a tweet, he expressed his vision for a public conversations app with over one billion users, a feat he believes Twitter has yet to achieve.