Threads usage drops as Meta blocks VPN access in EU

Enlarge (credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg)

This month, Meta’s new Twitter-alternative Threads launched in 100 countries, but not in the European Union, due to potential conflicts between the app’s vast data collection and the EU’s strict data privacy laws. Immediately, reports emerged that some EU users persisted in downloading Threads anyway—by hiding their location and accessing the app via a virtual private network, or VPN.

Now, Meta has confirmed that it has taken measures to block VPN access to Threads in the EU.

“Threads is not currently available in most countries in Europe, and we’ve taken additional steps to prevent people based there from accessing it at this time,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Europe continues to be an incredibly important market for Meta, and we hope to make Threads available here in the future.”