Meta plans for Twitter rival shown to staff

Meta has shown unit plans for a text-based societal web designed to vie with Twitter, sources person told the BBC.

It could let users to travel accounts they already travel connected Instagram, Meta's image-sharing app.

And it could perchance let them to bring implicit followers from decentralised platforms specified arsenic Mastodon.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that the level was successful development.

"We're exploring a standalone decentralised societal web for sharing substance updates," they said.

"We judge there's an accidental for a abstracted abstraction wherever creators and nationalist figures tin stock timely updates astir their interests."

Meta's main merchandise serviceman Chris Cox said coding was nether mode connected the platform. The tech elephantine aims to merchandise it soon, though nary day was given. There is immoderate speculation that it could beryllium arsenic aboriginal arsenic the extremity of June.

Screenshots person appeared online which were shown internally to employees, perchance giving an thought of what the app volition look like.

Sources wrong the institution person told the BBC that these leaked screenshots are genuine. If they are, the layout of this caller level volition beryllium acquainted to anyone who has spent clip connected Twitter.

The text-based web - which has a moving rubric of P92 - could crook retired to beryllium a greater rival to Elon Musk's Twitter than either BlueSky oregon Mastodon.

While some person attracted users disillusioned with Twitter, starting afresh connected a caller societal web and rebuilding a community, is difficult.

But the Instagram assemblage is enormous. Meta says it has astir 2 cardinal users, which dwarfs the 300 cardinal that are believed to usage Twitter - though its figures tin nary longer beryllium verified.

If adjacent 25% of Instagram users tin beryllium coaxed into utilizing P92 (it volition undoubtedly person a sexier sanction erstwhile it launches), it volition instantly go bigger than its older rival.

Meta says it takes "inspiration" from different products, though others enactment it little kindly - Stories connected Facebook was based connected a Snapchat feature, and Reels connected Instagram is unmistakably akin to TikTok.

Under Mr Musk, Twitter moderation has reportedly been reduced - which critics accidental allowed an summation successful the dispersed of disinformation.

But Mr Musk says determination is present "less misinformation alternatively than more" since helium took implicit successful October 2022.