Threads Introduces Privacy Option Amidst User Backlash Over Automatic Sharing on Facebook and Instagram

In response to user feedback, Threads, the social media app by Instagram, is introducing a new privacy option allowing users to opt out of the automatic sharing of their posts on other apps, including Instagram and Facebook. This move comes after discontent among Threads users who were automatically opted into sharing their posts externally. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, had initiated this feature in late August to promote Threads on other Meta-owned apps.

Karobar Karobar
Nov 14, 2023 - 19:15
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Threads Introduces Privacy Option Amidst User Backlash Over Automatic Sharing on Facebook and Instagram
Image Credits: Bloomberg / Gabby Jones / Getty Images

Many Threads users expressed dissatisfaction with being automatically enrolled in external post sharing, especially since their Threads audience differed significantly from their friends and family on Facebook and Instagram. Concerns were raised about maintaining a separation between the two audiences, with some users threatening to abandon Threads if their posts were visible to their Facebook family. Additionally, users criticized the quality of suggested Threads, describing them as often designed for generating comments or featuring clickbait lacking context.

In an effort to address these concerns, Meta has introduced a new privacy option within Threads. Users can now navigate to the "Privacy" section under the two-dash menu on their profile page and select "Suggesting posts on other apps." Here, users have the ability to toggle off the automatic sharing of Threads posts to Instagram and Facebook individually.

It's essential to highlight that the sharing feature remains opt-out rather than opt-in, and Meta did not publicly announce this change, underscoring the company's approach to growth hacking for the success of the Threads app. At its launch, Threads leveraged its built-in Instagram audience, rapidly gaining millions of users by suggesting friends when someone they knew joined Threads and automatically following people already connected on Instagram. Despite reports of a decline since its July launch, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg disclosed that Threads had achieved just under 100 million monthly users three months after its debut, making it the fastest app to reach 150 million downloads.