(Bloomberg) -- Meta Platforms Inc. has launched its social media app Threads in the European Union, nearly five months after starting the X competitor. 

European users will have the option to sign up to Threads without linking it to their Instagram account, the company said in a statement on Thursday. The Instagram link was a key point of contention in the EU, where new rules on digital platforms prevent major tech companies from sharing data across different services. The new type of account will have some features restricted.

Read More: Meta to Offer Ad-Free Facebook, Instagram Plans in Europe 

“People who use Threads without a profile can browse content on Threads, search for accounts, share content via link copying or platform sharing, and report Threads content, but can’t create a post or interact with content,” Meta said. 

The EU has passed increasingly stringent rules around how user data can be collected and used, forcing Big Tech companies like Meta to reevaluate how they operate on the continent. In October, Meta said it would give users in Europe an ad-free version of Facebook and Instragram in return for a subscription fee. The subscription services will be offered — alongside the free, ad-supported version — to anyone in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.  

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