We know that platforms around the world such as Twitter/X and now Threads play a huge role when it comes to health information and other things but it has come to light that Threads from Meta is blocking terms such as Covid and this is where its head has come to explain things in a post on the platform. Mosseri wrote on Threads that “We’re just getting pulled in a lot of directions at once right now,” and added “The biggest safety focus right now is managing content responsibly given the war in Israel in Gaza. The broader team is working on deeper integrations into Instagram and Facebook, graph building, EU compliance, Fediverse support, trending, and generally making sure Threads continues to grow.”
He also added that “the reality of the situation was that there’s “lots of important work to do” and Threads’ block on COVID would likely lift in a matter of weeks or months. In other words, Threads’ move to block the terms is not a permanent decision — it’s one where Threads prioritized other areas instead of trying to manage the potential risks around COVID misinformation spreading at a time when the network is still growing. He explains that Threads’ goal was not to be “anti-news,” as users could find and follow news accounts that share information. But it also won’t amplify news, saying it’s too risky “given the maturity of the platform.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg went on record saying that “Threads didn’t want to become just another Twitter — an app he described as indexing “very strong on just being quite negative and critical.” Instead, he wanted Threads to be more accessible to a lot of people, and a “positive” place for discussions. Today, that means an early culture where it blocks adult topics and censors terms that could lead to more heated discussions”. However, times are not great for threads and its adoption by the users right now. A recent report reveals that “Threads’ usage dropped by half from its initial surge and now the company is looking for new ways to revive interest in the app, including by courting creators to post more often”.
