2y ago

I think Threads is just a bit too invasive

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171 comments

I keep getting notifications that my Instagram followers wanna follow me on Threads, but I refuse to use it until they enable the website so I can control the data they learn about me.
- So you use Instagramm but are concerned that Threads collects too much data? Next you are going to tell me that you don't use Facebook because you don't trust the company behind it?
  
  Sigh, I just realized after I posted this comment that Instagram collects the same data as Threads. I am a dumb dumb.
  
  I stopped using Facebook on my phone because of the drain it had on battery. I have a new phone which manages it better and it's back on my phone again, but, like, who even uses FB these days ahead of other apps? Anyway, I still use it for birthdays (which is why I had Frost installed before Facebook broke it), but I miss the days you could just add Facebook birthdays to Google Calendar. Facebook killed that too.
  
  because of the drain it had on battery.
  The mobile site is better for battery than the app.
  
  Yup, Frost was just a wrapper for the mobile site, but it had notifications, dark theme and other trimmings and barely used battery vs. the official app. I've been keeping an eye on the official FB app's battery usage on the new phone and so far in the space of 40% used since I charged my phone to 80% in the morning (with it being 8pm now), there has been no battery consumption from FB at all. This is much better than it used to be. I'm sure when I actively use it it will drain more, but I don't use it really, only if someone sends me a link or if I need to check birthdays.
  It's the background usage before that was killing me.
  
  Ah, interesting, I didn't know about Frost. The mobile site has notifications natively though, as long as you're on a platform that supports web notifications (essentially, everything except iOS)
  
  Ah yeah much more common now, yet I prefer the customisable nature of wrapper notifications. At one point Messenger worked in them too. No longer.
  
  They use it through a web browser, meaning it can only access the data the web browser allows.
  
  Instagram is allowed in the EU and Threads is not, suggesting that Threads may be worse for privacy. And it's not easy to convince everyone you know to switch to a different platform.
  
  The reason it isn't allowed in the EU is because the GDPR doesn't allow for data to travel cross app and Threads is directly tied to an Instagram account right now.
- I personally wouldn't trust the website, either. It might be possible to block all the direct trackers, but they can learn a lot about you by what you do on the service, from who you follow to how long you spend on the site. If you have an account, you're paying for it in data.
  ...if you're okay with paying in data, that's your business, not mine, but don't assume blocking trackers is full protection.

171 comments