- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
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Meta’s new Threads app is closely linked to Instagram, so much so that you can’t delete your Threads profile without deleting your Instagram account.
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This is mentioned clearly in Meta’s supplemental privacy policy, which many new Threads users failed to read in full.
So badly designed
I don’t think so. A lot of people value their IG accounts, so it’s more of a trap. If deleting their Threads account means losing their IG account, they won’t do it.
It’s virtually impossible for this to be an accidental bug. It’s just not how it works. Building the new feature so that it can’t be switched back off but can be switched off is realistically impossible. It might be complicated to make a rollback script, but the lack of said code is a choice by management.
Yup, it’s totally a dark pattern in use.
Apparently you can deactivate your Threads profile, though. You just can’t delete it separately since it is the same account as your IG account.
Yep. True. I guess it’s just to give the users some semblance of control with their data.
I highly doubt that was an accident…
Definitely not. It’s what’s known as a “dark pattern” in the industry.
Which is why it’s still not available in Europe. They’re waiting until it has critical mass and don’t need the dark patterns anymore before rolling it out there.
Design can be made badly on purpose.
Bad designs aren’t always accidents.
Bad for whom? Not Meta.