Twitter's Decentralized Social Network Project Takes a Baby Step Forward (theverge.com) 24
Bluesky, Twitter's decentralized social networking effort, has announced its first major update since 2019. The Verge reports: The Bluesky team released a review of the decentralized web ecosystem and said it's hoping to find a team lead in the coming months. The review follows Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey discussing Bluesky earlier this month, when he called it a "standard for the public conversation layer of the internet." The review outlines a variety of known decentralized systems. It includes ActivityPub, known for powering the social network Mastodon; the messaging standard XMPP, which powers WhatsApp and the now-defunct Google Talk; and Solid, a decentralization project led by World Wide Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The report covers how these systems handle key social network elements like discoverability, moderation, and privacy, as well as how services based on them can scale up, interoperate, and make money.
This doesn't tell us how Bluesky itself might operate. If it results in a protocol, that system might be created from scratch, or it might build on an existing standard like ActivityPub â" a possibility Dorsey mentioned in 2019 upon unveiling the initiative. [...] However, the report offers a snapshot of who's been working on Bluesky. It was authored by Jay Graber, creator of event-organizing platform Happening. Other contributors include Mastodon developer Eugen Rochko, peer-to-peer Beaker Browser co-creator Paul Frazee, ActivityPub standard co-editor Christopher Lemmer Webber, and InterPlanetary File System project lead Molly Mackinlay.
It also hints at the fact that decentralization often isn't profitable. The report focuses on monetization options like membership fees and cryptocurrency microtransactions, but it also notes that "many decentralized projects run on volunteer work and donations" -- something that isn't ideal for a platform supporting commercial networks like Twitter.
This doesn't tell us how Bluesky itself might operate. If it results in a protocol, that system might be created from scratch, or it might build on an existing standard like ActivityPub â" a possibility Dorsey mentioned in 2019 upon unveiling the initiative. [...] However, the report offers a snapshot of who's been working on Bluesky. It was authored by Jay Graber, creator of event-organizing platform Happening. Other contributors include Mastodon developer Eugen Rochko, peer-to-peer Beaker Browser co-creator Paul Frazee, ActivityPub standard co-editor Christopher Lemmer Webber, and InterPlanetary File System project lead Molly Mackinlay.
It also hints at the fact that decentralization often isn't profitable. The report focuses on monetization options like membership fees and cryptocurrency microtransactions, but it also notes that "many decentralized projects run on volunteer work and donations" -- something that isn't ideal for a platform supporting commercial networks like Twitter.
Uh huh (Score:5, Insightful)
If you agree with everything we say.
Re: Uh huh (Score:3, Funny)
Clearly you are performing wrong think you bigot.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think this is "insightful," rather, funny. It's clearly a joke, something someone would stay that failed to distinguish context. Regardless, this is a scary move. Twitter will be the new AOL (do you still have a friend with an @aol.com email address?). Twitter is talking about the "conversation layer" as activity pub in this context, not censorship. However... it's scarier.
Twitter will not gain a significant number of users with this move, it will simply prevent more people from leaving based on a
Infinite Greed (Score:2)
So twitter want to push wasteful consumption, advertising, in a time of catastrophic climate change, on a free for them network and get you suckers to pay for their advertising. Distributed, should largely mean the death of advertising on it and the end climate change promoting corrupt corporations like twitter, just another establishment censorship and control anal retentive freak organisation, executives and staff.
Re: (Score:3)
So twitter want to push wasteful consumption, advertising, in a time of catastrophic climate change, on a free for them network and get you suckers to pay for their advertising. Distributed, should largely mean the death of advertising on it and the end climate change promoting corrupt corporations like twitter, just another establishment censorship and control anal retentive freak organisation, executives and staff.
Since you put it that way, it will probably be wildly successful.
DOA (Score:2, Insightful)
Now that you know Twitter will kill potentially anything based on ideology, who would be foolish enough to make use of anything Twitter produced?
Over time, any group will eventually be against the current popular ideology, and thus in danger... and it's not just Conservatives Twitter has shut down even now.
Re: DOA (Score:1, Insightful)
The narrative is they are moving to a consolidated message. If you are not onboard you will be destroyed. Good news is twatter is part of the unified vision or at least until the political parties turn against them.
You should always destroy the tools that brought you to power.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Over time, any group will eventually be against the current popular ideology, and thus in danger... and it's not just Conservatives Twitter has shut down even now.
So much butthurt. Oh no a company is against fascism and insurrection! So that means they will eventually be against anything!
Get a grip.
Re: (Score:1)
Oh no a company is against fascism and insurrection!
Are they? They seem to have left quite a few actual fascists on Twitter, while banning people who support neither fascism nor insurrection.
It seems you are quite butthurt over the notion someone might be against Twitters actions, more than a little ironic that are are in fact defining fascism yourself. Don't worry, Twitter will get around to banning you eventually also...
Re: (Score:2)
more than a little ironic that are are in fact defining fascism yourself.
Limiting hateful and potentially dangerous speech is not fascist. Slipper slope arguments are only useful when you don't have the time or ability to think through a particular situation on its own merits.
Re: (Score:1)
Limiting hateful and potentially dangerous speech is not fascist
I agree. What a shame that is not what Twitter is doing... on fact they banned Trump before he could get out a tweet asking for the protestors in the building to disperse and go home, which he did after he was banned...
So you are covering for a company that literally stopped someone from trying to calm down a dangerous situation, amplifying the danger. You are supporting fascism and dangerous quieting of speech.
I guess you gotta say whatever
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Gee. Huge corporations tied into a political party/government and censoring all dissent. That is exactly what fascism is, numbnuts.
Re: (Score:2)
Gee. Huge corporations tied into a political party/government and censoring all dissent. That is exactly what fascism is, numbnuts.
Censoring all dissent? Hyperbole much? Jesus, tell a white supremacist or insurrectionist to get lost and all the sudden it's "Oh no! We must all obey and any dissent will get us crushed! I'm being oppressed!" even though I can go on Twitter and follow maybe every US politician in office, if I wanted to torture myself in such a way. I mean, I know that one congresswoman who believes Democrats are drinking the blood of babies and that Sandy Hook never happened got suspended for 12 hours, so you're right. It'
Re: (Score:3)
Gee. Huge corporations tied into a political party/government and censoring all dissent.
These companies are not tied to a political party. It may appear that way because we have a two party system, but rejection of a political party because they have embraced fascism does not make you fascist just because there is only one other significant political party in the country.
That is exactly what fascism is, numbnuts.
Okay lets look at the actual definition of fascism. Or to be more precise, its eight ideological traits.
1. Hyper-nationalism: Clearly part of the current Republican ideology
2. Militarism: Lavish praise on military and police.
It's gonna change the world (Score:1)
Why I think Dorsey is doing this (Score:4, Interesting)
He wants to neutralize or kill Twitter. To me, I don't see a guy enthusiastic about Twitter. I see a CEO who was drafted by peer pressure to take on a second job that he largely hates in order to keep the good vibes toward the company he really likes (Square).
If Twitter were to adopt ActivityPub, it would make a lot of the discussion irrelevant. Twitter could be strong-armed into allowing suspended users to export their data and politely leave.
Come on Jack, just do it. No one on Capitol Hill cares about Square. Your days of doing testimony will be over if you just pull the trigger and go all in on ActivityPub.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
To me, I don't see a guy enthusiastic about Twitter. I see a CEO who was drafted by...
Al Qaeda? I mean that Osama Bin Laden look doesn't help...
if your service is good people will pay (Score:2)
I am not interested in ANY social network that runs on an advertising model.
God, Dave Morin if you're reading this, spend some of your Facebook zillions on buying back Path's IP and relaunch it.
Whoops, wrong article. (Score:1)
Still fits... unsurprisingly.
Decentralised control...ok (Score:2)