Want to Delete Your Threads Profile? Then Delete Your Instagram Account, Says Meta

[MacRumors]

Threads, Meta's alternative to Twitter, has officially launched. But users thinking of installing the social media app just to check it out should be aware that you can't delete your Threads profile without also deleting your Instagram account.

Meta describes Threads as "Instagram's text-based conversation app," and there's purpose in that precise phrasing. It doesn't just mean that your Instagram username ports over to Threads and that you have the option to follow the same people you follow on Instagram. It also means that once you create a Threads profile, there's no way to delete it unless you're prepared to delete your Instagram account wholesale.

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If you want out of Threads but you're not prepared to delete your Instagram account, the only other alternative is to "temporarily" deactivate your Threads profile. This is Meta's way of encouraging you to keep both. Threads' privacy policy makes it pretty clear: "You may deactivate your Threads profile at any time, but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1676775597735923719

The moral of the story for Instagram fans is that if you don't want an eternal Threads profile on Meta's servers, then don't sign up to Threads. If it's too late for that, the less-than-ideal alternative is to deactivate your Threads profile, which you can do by following the steps below.

1. In the Threads app, tap the profile icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
2. Tap the two-line menu icon in the top right of your profile.
3. Tap the Account icon, then tap Deactivate profile.
4. Tap Deactivate Threads profile, then confirm your choice.

When you deactivate your profile, your posts and interactions with others' posts won't be visible until you reactivate your profile. That said, those posts will still live on Threads' servers unless you manually delete them one by one.

If you change your mind after deactivation, you can re-activate your Threads profile simply by logging back into the Threads app using your Instagram account. Just bear in mind that you can only deactivate your profile once a week.

Article Link: Want to Delete Your Threads Profile? Then Delete Your Instagram Account, Says Meta

 

[contacos]

Probably one of many reasons why this App is not launching in the EU.

So far I do not like it at all, because:

1. Your feed has no structure and order (in short: it is a mess)
2. You cannot select categories you are interested in (travel, jokes, entertainment, tech, et al) - it seems to simply pull data from your instagram profile and based on this it assumes you may like post A or B
3. No "My Feed" section like seriously, I cannot even see what my followers have posted or talking about. I just see random posts about random topics by strangers!

Also does not seem very engaging so far for both sides:

Users: "Why should I comment on this random persons post, seems almost invasive and the post will be gone from my feed the next time I refresh the page anyway (no longevity)"
Influencer: "Why should I make this post if I cannot target or control who gets to see it?"

 

[japanime]

What a scummy company.

 

[mystery hill]

That said, those posts will still live on Threads' servers unless you manually delete them one by one.

It will remain on Meta’s servers whether you delete the posts manually, or delete your Threads and Instagram account.

Only use Meta apps if you’re okay with them always having your data.

 

[Snapperjw]

Very clever!!! They know they have a very popular app with Instagram and people are not going to walkaway from Instagram anytime soon. Link Threads to Instagram and you'll never really see users numbers going down.

 

[timber]

I guess I would need an Instagram account to begin with (and of course not be in the EU).

This Threads app kind of reminds me of several MS past launches were they always made their competing effort linked with some legacy product than a lot of people could or couldn't be interested in. And it dragged them down big time.

 

[contacos]

It will remain on Meta’s servers whether you delete the posts manually, or delete your Threads and Instagram account.

Only use Meta apps if you’re okay with them always having your data.

That certainly would not be GDPR compliant (right to forget)

 

[mystery hill]

That certainly would not be GDPR compliant (right to forget)

That only applies in the EU. Other countries don’t have such stringent privacy policies.

 

[threeseed]

This Threads app kind of reminds me of several MS past launches were they always made their competing effort linked with some legacy product than a lot of people could or couldn't be interested in. And it dragged them down big time.

Except that Instagram isn't some "legacy" product. It has over a billion users and is generally well-liked.

The fact that Threads is adding over a million users each hour shows that it was the right move.

 

[timber]

Those MS legacy products algo had large numbers of users and were well liked (and still are, usually it was Windows and Office sticked to everything). That doesn't mean they were well suited to carry another launch forward.

 

[Will Co]

That only applies in the EU. Other countries don’t have such stringent privacy policies.

..but perhaps should. It's plain wrong for a company to be able to hold onto data about you that you don't want them to hold, unless there are very good overriding reasons. GDPR isn't perfect, but it's way better than nothing.

This is truly scummy behaviour from Meta. But let's be honest, folks, did anyone really expect anything different?

 

[Skyscraperfan]

I was never a fan of the European Union, but I am so glad that they managed to stop Threads here for the foreseeable future. Threads should be called "Threats" instead, because it threatens our privacy even more. Switching from Twitter to Threats is like voting for Kanye West because you do not like Donald Trump.

Many people complain about the EU now. They feel locked out. The fact that you can't easily delete your Threads account though should also make lawmakers in the US and UK take a closer look at it. It is too much too ask that you cab leave a service at any time without leaving behind any data?

Many people did not like what Elon Musk did with Twitter, but Twitter lost a few million dollars per day. So firing people and charging for the service made a lot of sense. That is still better than selling private user data to advertising companies. Meta even saves health data and your credit score. That's stuff you would not even tell a close friend.

 

[threeseed]

It's plain wrong for a company to be able to hold onto data about you that you don't want them to hold, unless there are very good overriding reasons.

Yes the reason is that they want to run targeted ads. The ads that pay for the service that you're using.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

That only applies in the EU. Other countries don’t have such stringent privacy policies.

The UK is no longer an EU member but GDPR practises still apply here thankfully.

 

[threeseed]

That is still better than selling private user data to advertising companies. Meta even saves health data and your credit score. That's stuff you would not even tell a close friend.

You do know that the CEO of Twitter is an advertising executive ?

And that apart from health data Twitter captures the exact private data as Meta which they make available for targeting to the exact same advertising companies.

 

[krakman]

I thought 'threads' is something you catch from dog poo?

 

[thefarang]

As much as I dislike Facebook/Meta, we know this launch was rushed to capitalize on Musk slowly (sometimes rapidly) destroying Twitter.

I’m going to guess this inability to delete your Threads profile without also deleting your IG profile is a compromise that they made to get the product out the door quickly and grab some of the people who have been complaining that the existing federated platform are crap.

Same with the comments made earlier about unable to see various types of feeds.

It just seems like a rushed beta that they threw out there to get signups and to get people using it whenever Musk does something stupid.

Then again, I could be wrong and it was designed to have this behavior. I guess we’ll see if these issues get resolved or they become baked into the platform.

 

[krspkbl]

Maybe you should just delete your Instagram account. And your Facebook and WhatsApp.

META needs to die.

 

[BMox81]

Privacy Police out in full force in this post!

 

[LiE_]

I thought 'threads' is something you catch from dog poo?

It's basically stolen from forums, where we create threads.

 

[racer1441]

All this social media stuff is just making a generation of over exposed and under educated people.

 

[nicho]

Then again, I could be wrong and it was designed to have this behavior. I guess we’ll see if these issues get resolved or they become baked into the platform.

Maybe this will be a case of “F*** it, that’ll do” - start with it not being great, and do the bare minimum. If people are signing up and using the service as is why bother to make it ‘better’?

 

[0134168]

Threads Privacy Rules.

 

[cthompson94]

Threads Privacy Rules.

When I saw that too I was just amazed how much data is just blatantly wanted just for a twitter alt. It doesn't surprise me because of well Meta, but I don't know just seeing that listed like that I guess did surprise me for a split second.

 

[Picklefoot]

I urge everyone to delete their Instagram account like Meta recommends.