Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey declared in late 2019 that his firm had assembled a small, independent team of programmers with the sole purpose of developing a decentralized social media protocol that may form the basis of a new, unrestricted standard for online connectivity.
After three years, and following Dorsey’s departure from Twitter, the team has broken its silence to reveal that it thinks it has accomplished the task at hand.
The Bluesky initiative unveiled a webpage on Tuesday for its decentralized social media platform, dubbed The AT Protocol.
The waitlist for the Bluesky app, which the team is advertising as the ideal “browser” for gaining access to the AT Protocol network, has also been launched. It has proven to be popular enough for the list to be rapidly filled up, even prompting third-party intervention.
As a decentralised network, the AT Protocol operates independently of any particular company’s will. Bluesky argues that this independence will allow users of social networks built on the protocol to both safeguard their sensitive data and avoid the corporate algorithms that often promote controversy to keep users engaged.
The objective of Bluesky also heavily emphasizes fostering interoperability or the compatibility of many platforms within the same protocol. The group has created an AT Protocol-based interoperation framework called Lexicon that will make it easier for various apps and networks to communicate.
When Dorsey first saw the group’s potential, he said that “the goal is for Twitter to ultimately be a client of this standard” despite no longer being associated with the project. Presently, he commended the Bluesky team on their “foundational” accomplishment.
The launch of The AT Protocol occurs at a time when, among several other matters, political conflict has caused fragmenting and criticism of social media platforms such as Twitter and their guidelines. After being barred from Instagram and Twitter for making antisemitic comments, controversial public personality Kanye West reached an agreement to buy right-leaning social media firm Parler on Monday.
