Twitter founder’s company shows protocol for decentralized social network

Bluesky, a startup owned by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, has released more details about its decentralized social networking protocol. The company is also planning an app for its own social network and is introducing a closed beta program for it.

The company, which was part of Twitter until a few years ago, has put a new website online which contains more information about the Authenticated Transfer Protocol. That protocol should enable decentralized social networks so that these networks are not operated by a single website, such as Twitter.com or Facebook.com, but by multiple websites and users.

According to the makers the AT Protocol makes it possible for users to transfer their online identity to another platform. Through the protocol, users would also gain more information, control and insight into the algorithms that provide them with content. The makers also claim that the protocol will contain a framework that should enable interoperability between other services. Finally, both speed and a fast user experience should become a crucial part of the protocol.

To drive the development of the AT Protocol, Bluesky is also announcing a social media app that leverages the newly developed protocol. Users who want to try the app, Bluesky Social, can register sign up for the closed beta. According to the developers, there will also be a public version ‘soon’.

Bluesky became founded in 2019 as a division within Twitter. The department had to develop an open and decentralized standard for social media. At the beginning of this year, the division broke away from Twitter and started operating independently.