Meta impede que usuários da UE acessem Threads por meio de uma VPN
- Threads, a new social network, is unavailable to European Union users through a VPN.
- Meta is taking measures to prevent access to the app in European countries where it’s unavailable.
- Despite this, Meta considers Europe a significant market and hopes to expand availability in the future.
Meta has confirmed that it’s blocking European Union users from accessing Threads through a virtual private network (VPN). Content, notifications, and profiles won’t load properly if accessed through a VPN, as consultant Matt Navarra explains. Some users report being able to access Threads without a VPN if they had previously signed up with one, but it’s uncertain whether this loophole will continue to work.
Meta says it’s taking “further measures” to prevent access to Threads in European countries where it’s unavailable. The company considers Europe a significant market and hopes to expand availability in the future, but it doesn’t provide a timeline for further rollouts. Threads is currently incomplete and lacks important features like hashtags.
Threads is available in over 100 countries, including the US and UK, but not in the EU. The EU views Meta as a technology “gatekeeper” in the region and wants to ensure that Threads’ data sharing approach complies with the upcoming Digital Markets Act. Threads is built on Instagram’s infrastructure and may import data from that platform. Meta also has to seek permission to show personalized ads, which may add further complications.
There’s pressure for Meta to expand. Threads gained 100 million users in under a week and is already considered Twitter’s greatest threat. While it’s unclear whether usage will hold up in the long term, an expansion to the EU could sustain that momentum. Outside analysts believe Twitter traffic is already decreasing as a result of users trying or switching to Threads.