Following the July launch of its text-based social network, Threads, Meta found itself in hot water due to the absence of a user-friendly account deletion option that didn’t involve erasing one’s entire Instagram presence. However, Meta has since taken heed of the criticism and is now on track to introduce a dedicated account deletion feature for Threads by December.
During the recent TechCrunch Disrupt event, Michel Protti, Meta’s Chief Privacy Officer for Product, revealed that Meta is actively developing the account deletion feature for Threads, aiming for a December release.
Protti explained that due to Threads’ close integration with Instagram, Meta initially grappled with the challenge of separating account deletion requests between the two platforms. He emphasized the technical complexity of allowing users to delete a Threads account independently, without also erasing their broader Instagram account. Consequently, Meta opted to provide alternative options like deactivating the account, setting it to private, or deleting individual threads to ensure users could exercise their deletion rights.
Moreover, Protti mentioned that as Meta works on integrating Threads with the Fediverse, they are assessing scenarios involving Threads posts that migrate to other servers and get deleted by their authors.
While Threads initially garnered substantial attention and achieved 100 million sign-ups within a short period after its launch in July, its popularity has waned in recent months. Despite introducing highly anticipated features such as a following feed, a web app, and a comprehensive text search function, the platform’s engagement levels have fallen short of Meta’s expectations. During a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Instagram Stories, Adam Mosseri, the head of the app, acknowledged the need for improved account recommendations, streamlined messaging, and the development of an edit button for posts.
A recent analysis published by Insider Intelligence revealed that Threads boasts 23.7 million monthly active users in the United States, currently ranking below platforms like Reddit and Twitter in terms of user base.
