Twitter threatens legal action against Meta’s Threads, unraveling battle for social media supremacy

Twitter issued a legal threat to Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, over its recently launched Threads platform, unravelling the battle between the rivals for social media supremacy, say media reports. 

Meta’s Threads platform has already garnered over 30 million sign-ups since its launch. The app seeks to rival Elon Musk’s Twitter by leveraging Instagram’s vast user base. 

In a letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter’s lawyer Alex Spiro warned that the company intends to sue Meta if it does not cease using Twitter’s trade secrets and confidential information, reports Reuters. 

The letter alleged that Meta has hired former Twitter employees who possess confidential information about the microblogging site. “Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,” Spiro wrote in the letter.

The report said that these hired employees “had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information.” 

Threads to challenge Twitter dominance

Meta aims to compete directly with Twitter and capitalise on Instagram’s billions of users. Threads platform poses a significant challenge to Twitter’s market position. Users who used Threads noticed that there are many similarities between the two rival platforms, however, Threads lacks a few key features. 

Although Threads shares a striking resemblance to Twitter’s microblogging platform, it does not support keyword searches or direct messages.

While the user interface may be reminiscent of Twitter, the absence of these essential features sets Threads apart from its competitor.

At present, neither Meta nor Twitter provided an official response to the reported legal dispute, Reuters reported.

What is Threads?  

Threads app is designed for sharing text updates and engaging in public discussions. With Threads, users can conveniently log in using their Instagram accounts and craft posts that can stretch up to 500 characters. The app supports various media formats, allowing users to include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length.

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As part of its vision for the future of the internet, Instagram is actively working on expanding Threads’ compatibility with open and interoperable social networks. This move aims to foster a more connected and inclusive online experience, where users can seamlessly interact across different platforms. 

On 6 July, Meta rolled out Threads in more than 100 countries for iOS and Android, and people in those countries can download the app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.