Meta Platforms on Wednesday launched its new Threads app, marking the highest-profile attempt so far to challenge the primacy of rival social media platform Twitter.
"Threads is here. Let's do this," Mark Zuckerberg said in posts on the latest app as well as Facebook.
Threads was originally scheduled to be launched on Thursday, but a countdown clock on its website showed that it was due to go live at 7pm ET.
Mr Zuckerberg's latest app is meant to be a place “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what you'll care about tomorrow”, the app said in its Apple Store listing.
The Threads app says users can follow and directly connect with creators and other like-minded users, or build a following of their own.
Instagram users aged 12 and up will be able to log into the app through their Instagram accounts.
But the newest app's data policy was mocked by Twitter chief executive Elon Musk and its founder Jack Dorsey.
Threads said users' financial and contact information, browsing history, health and fitness information, usage data, purchases and location may be collected by the app, among others.
“All your Threads are belong to us,” Mr Dorsey wrote in a tweet with a screenshot showing Threads' privacy policy.
Mr Dorsey launched his own competitor to Twitter – Bluesky – earlier this year.
And while a Meta representative said the new app would be available in more than 100 countries, Threads was not available in some EU countries over regulatory concerns.
The app was available for pre-order for users in the UAE.
Threads is seen as the most potent rival to Twitter, which has experienced a period of turbulence since Mr Musk's $44 billion takeover last year.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
