Given that Threads requires an app, and the app requires obscene permissions (health, etc) ... its hard not to think that Meta can't escape their set ways and this app is doomed to fail.
The app serves Meta more than it does the public.
The app serves Meta more than it does the public.
But the GP didn't do that. They gave access to health data as the example, and that's just not a permission that the app asks for. (Is it even a permission that exists?). It's pretty clear that they're just regurgitating that misleading screenshot that was making the rounds a couple of days ago with no understanding.
If the app's privacy story really is that bad, one should be able to make that case while sticking to the facts.
That is a screenshot of the Privacy Labels. It's basically a structured form of the app's privacy policy, self-reported by Facebook. Them putting "Health and Fitness" in that list does not in any way grant their app access to any health data on your iPhone. The same is true for literally every other item on that list. It has no impact on what iOS lets the app do.
The reason all of that data is listed there is that Meta might already have it associated with your account, due to e.g. your use of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Quest, and they might make use of that data in this app too. Or possibly they want a single unified privacy policy for all their apps.
If, as you say, this covers all data "used" in some manner by all Meta apps then I think this is a clear misuse of the policy. Providing a list of labels that includes literally every label isn't helpful to the person deciding if they want to continue using the application or not.
In any case, if Threads doesn't collect health data then, IMHO, the privacy label shouldn't be listed. By Meta's own admission, their app collects this data and posts it back to Meta.
The list of permissions is a different list, with different contents.
It doesn’t give the app access to your health data.
"The following data may be collected and linked to your identity: Health & Fitness, Purchases, Financial Info, Location, Contact Info, Contacts, User Content, Search History, Browsing History, Identifiers, Usage Data, Sensitive Info, Diagnostics, Other Data"
You agreed to give all that data to Meta when you downloaded the app from the App Store.
When I go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Health, Threads is not listed as an app that has access.
Maybe at some point in the future it will request access, and you can just deny it then if you don't want it.
I think the poster is confused between technical system-granted permissions (e.g., Contacts, Location, Bluetooth, etc.) and app privacy labels (i.e., a self-declared user-friendly version of a legalese privacy policy).
But I get your point, I doubt people really care.
Instagram was app-only for years, though. It added the web version a long time later
Look how popular TT is and they track/capture data out the ass. I've got 18-21yo friends who don't even bat an eye when it comes to it, it's become a fatalist "this is just the way the world works" thing I think.
That tells me this is a rush job. Probably it's because they were afraid that the small opportunity in the market for someone to compete with Twitter might be very short lived. I think they are right and that they are late to the party.
Let's see what happens but I think this will indeed fizzle out pretty quickly. It will be interesting to see if they'll ever even bother with an EU launch of this thing. Without a strong story on privacy any attempt to launch in the EU is in any case doomed. So, this is looking like it's off to a lack luster and weak start.
THis is just peak Hacker News. Most people just click ok to get the stupid popup out of the way.