Meta’s looking to tackle content theft on Threads by experimenting with a new feature that would make it easy for users to re-share media in the app, while still giving credit to the original poster.
As you can see in this example, posted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Threads is internally testing a new “Use media” option, in addition to “Repost” and “Quote”, which would enable users to provide their own take on a video or image, while still acknowledging the original source.
Which could be a handy option, and while it won’t stop all users from just re-posting memes and video clips, and looking to pass them off as their own, adding a simple way to re-share could prompt many to go this route instead, building a better creator ecosystem.
Credit for original content has become a bigger focus for Instagram of late, as it looks to enhance its appeal with the creator community, and keep top users posting to the app.
Back in April, Instagram announced that it had begun removing aggregator accounts from its account and content recommendation displays, in order to disincentivize those gaining popularity by re-posting other people’s creations.
Instagram also now has a system in place to switch out re-posts with the original in its Explore feed, with its updated detection systems now able to determine the originating profile in many instances.
A Threads “Use media” option is along the same lines, providing another way to more easily credit and acknowledge creators, rather than just right clicking and saving their work.
Web copyright, in general, has become even more murky in the generative AI era, with the definition of true creative ownership taking on new dimensions. Which has also loosened some people’s views on re-use and paying credit, and as such, simplicity in facilitating appropriate usage is key.
Which is why providing a one-click option to both re-use content and share credit would be a good move, and it could be a valuable addition in the broader Threads process.
The option is in early testing, with no word on a roll-out plan as yet.