Threads, the latest Twitter alternative developed by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has launched. The program, released on July 5, has already acquired enormous interest, with Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, claiming an amazing 11 million users in just seven hours. If you were one among the early adopters, you might be upset to learn that removing your Threads account also means deleting your entire Instagram profile.
Although Threads is a different application, users must sign in with their Instagram accounts. As a result, the connection between the two platforms is permanent. TechCrunch recently reported on a finding in Meta’s Supplemental Privacy Policy: to delete your Threads profile, you must completely delete your Instagram presence. “You may deactivate your Threads profile at any time,” the policy notes expressly, “but your Threads profile can only be deleted by deleting your Instagram account.”
To be clear, deactivating your Threads account does not affect your Instagram profile; nevertheless, permanently deleting it is impossible. To deactivate your account, go to the settings area, which is found directly above your display photo in the top-right corner. Select “Account,” then “Deactivate profile.” You will, of course, be asked to confirm your selection. If you change your mind later, Meta’s social networks allow account reactivation as long as it has not been completely removed.
If you want to eliminate your presence from the service entirely, you must say goodbye to your Instagram account. The purpose behind this unusually close connection is unknown. Still, it is plausible to infer that Threads intends to harness Instagram’s massive user base, which currently numbers two billion people globally. However, it would be in Meta’s best interest to develop an option that allows for the entire deletion of Threads accounts while maintaining the integrity of Instagram profiles. This constraint is especially aggravating given that the service is still in its early stages, with many customers likely investigating its fit for their specific needs.