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https://usa.kaspersky.com/blog/threads-privacy-questions/28627/
To Threads or Not to Threads? That is the privacy question
Discussing privacy in Threads, and whether you should sign up to
Zuckerberg?s Twitter clone.
Alanna Titterington
July 14, 2023
All things related to Threads privacy
As you?ve probably heard, Mark Zuckerberg has launched a Twitter
competitor that goes by the name of Threads. So, let?s have a look at
how things are with privacy there.
What is Threads and how does it operate?
Threads is not a fully independent social network. Technically, it?s
a continuation of Instagram, hived off into a separate app. To use
most of the features in Threads, you?ll need an Instagram account: It
will form the basis of your Threads profile.
The Threads app itself is uncannily Twitter-esque. Viewing the two
apps side by side, it?s easy to mix them up once the bird icon or
Zuckerberg?s squiggly shoelace scroll off the screen.
Comparison of Twitter and Threads app
Try to guess which is which
As for posts, these can be read in the Threads app or on the web
version threads.net (not to be confused with the site threads.com,
which belongs to the developers of a corporate messenger similar to
Slack). But using the site is, to put it mildly, inconvenient:
there?s no feed, no search, and just the option to follow direct
links to someone?s profile or individual posts (which you still have
to rummage around for). Basically, if you?ve ever tried using the
Instagram website, you understand what we?re talking about.
Posting in Threads without the app isn?t possible at all. For one
thing, the site doesn?t even have a sign-in button; the main page
offers a ?Get the app? message and links to Google Play and the App
Store, plus a QR code. Thus, there?s nothing doing without both the
app and an Instagram account (at least for now ? more about that
below).
Threads.net main page
For now, you need the app to use Threads
Scammers already love Threads
Being such a modest website in terms of functionality, Threads is a
gift to scammers. Our experts have already discovered phishing pages
imitating the web version of the social network and collecting users?
logins and passwords ? which match at least the login data for
Instagram.
In addition, so-called ?Threads Coin? is already being sold for
cryptocurrency on the Web. And it seems like even its creators don?t
fully understand the purpose of these coins, vaguely promising to
?connect users to the Metaverse?.
Finally, another scam promises to generate tens of thousands of
followers for a freshly created Threads account. The obvious result
of participating in any such schemes will only be the loss of money
and personal data.
How much data does Threads collect?
All projects associated with Mark Zuckerberg are known for being
excessively data-hungry. Perhaps only the omnipresent Google can
rival the Zuckerberg empire when it comes to harvesting personal
information.
Threads, it seems, is no exception: according to its App Store
description, the social network collects all user data it can lay its
hands on. However, there are a couple of nuances to bear in mind.
First: the list of data collected is identical to Instagram?s.
Comparison of data collected by Instagram and Threads apps
Categories of data collected by Threads and Instagram
Second: this list is written by the app developers themselves, so it
doesn?t have to be completely true. And apparently, for now it lists
some categories of data that Threads doesn?t request access to yet.
For example, it mentions access to location, but, at the time of
posting, the app doesn?t request that permission. This may change in
the future, but for now that?s the way it is.
Comparison of Instagram and Threads app permissions
Threads and Instagram app permissions
What about Twitter?
The social network Zuckerberg is trying to knock aside also hoovers
up user data like there?s no tomorrow. Who knew?! Here?s the
equivalent list for the Twitter app, kindly provided once again by
the App Store. Take a look at what it wants:
Categories of data collected by Twitter
On a separate note, we should mention that Twitter has worked hard
these past few years to complicate interaction for users who don?t
log in. As things stand, to read other people?s tweets, it?s
advisable to have your own Twitter account ? so in this sense, Musk?s
bird is no better than Zuckerberg?s squiggle.
However, Twitter still has the edge (for now) ? a fully-functional
web version, which gives you a chance to fend off some of its data-
grabbing practices by using a private browser.
Should Instagram users get a Threads profile?
As we said above, Threads and Instagram have the same permission
list. So, if you already use Insta and aren?t too bothered by the
amount of data Zuckerberg collects about you, don?t worry: the
Threads app won?t harvest any new kinds of information. It will still
read your posts, though.
There are plenty of scare stories doing the rounds right now that if
Threads users want to leave it, they?ll lose their Instagram account
too. Otherwise, allegedly, it will simply not be possible to delete
the account from the Twitter analog. However, it?s important to
understand here that there are no Threads accounts (deleting what
doesn?t exist in the first place may indeed be tricky) ? only Threads
profiles linked to Instagram accounts. You can?t delete your profile,
but you can deactivate it. After that, all app-based information will
no longer be visible to other users. In practical terms, this differs
little from deletion.
So, long story short, if you already use Instagram, there?s nothing
to fear about creating a Threads profile. If you don?t like the app
for some reason, you can deactivate your profile, and everything you
published there will be hidden.
Is Instagram worth signing up to for Threads?
If you don?t have an Instagram account but have decided to get one to
use Threads, you may want to reconsider; especially if your main
reason for staying off Instagram all this time has been privacy.
The thing is that Threads promises the opportunity to enter the
Fediverse (a decentralized association of independent social
networks) using the ActivityPub protocol. This feature is operational
yet, but Threads developers are reportedly planning to add it to the
platform.
This means you?ll be able to post on Threads not only without
creating a profile, but without having an Instagram account or even
installing any app created by a Zuckerberg company. Instead, you?ll
be able to use an alternative, less data-greedy social network
account. But you need to wait for the feature to be implemented.
Alternatives to Twitter and Threads
The primary alternative to Threads and Twitter is Mastodon. This
social network is already part of the Fediverse and supports
ActivityPub (so in the future it will be possible to read and write
Threads posts through it). Another important plus is that the
Mastodon app collects hardly any user data at all. And there are lots
of Mastodon client apps out there for you to choose from.
On top of that, journalists from Wired magazine suggest a few other
Twitter and Threads alternatives: Bluesky, Hive Social and Spill. All
of these microblogging platforms collect significantly less user data
than either Threads or Twitter. However, they don?t offer ActivityPub
support.
In our next post, we?ll talk about how you can improve privacy in
Zuckerberg?s potential Twitter-killer for those who do decide to give
Threads a whirl. Also, to secure your internet surfing, we recommend
using a reliable VPN.
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