The Twitter-backed project to develop an open, decentralised standard for social networks, Bluesky, has published the first part of the open-source code for the Authenticated Data eXperiment (ADX).
Today we’re open-sourcing the Authenticated Data eXperiment (ADX) to begin working in public. https://t.co/lJY08TzRps
— bluesky (@bluesky) May 4, 2022
In a post titled ‘Working in Public,’ the developers clarified that the release includes a personal data server, a command-line client, and an overview of the network architecture.
The team pledged to share the platform’s development process publicly, ‘releasing work before it is finished, but also giving themselves time to pursue new directions in the early stages.’
‘Don’t be afraid to experiment, but for now don\’t try to build your next big social app on top of this. Something\’s missing, and everything will change. We wrote code to test ideas and explore edge cases as part of the research process, not for a finished product,’ the developers said.
According to them, the core of ADX is ‘self-authenticating data,’ which allows actions in the network to be independently certified:
‘Self-authenticating data passes authority to the user and keeps data live on every host. Users can publish to someone else’s service, or to their own, while remaining part of the network.’
The core of ADX is self-authenticating data. Self-authenticating data moves authority to the user and preserves the liveness of data across every host. Users can publish to someone else’s service, or to their own, and still be a part of the network.
— bluesky (@bluesky) May 4, 2022
Bluesky noted that ‘it is not possible to build a usable social network without moderation.’ For their concept of the process, the developers employed two layers: ‘speech’ and ‘reach’:
‘The speech layer can be as neutral as publishing a website. The reach layer determines what gets amplified across the network.’
It’s not possible to have a usable social network without moderation. Our view is that ‘speech’ and ‘reach’ should be two separate layers. The speech layer can be as neutral as publishing a website. The reach layer determines what gets amplified across the network.
— bluesky (@bluesky) May 4, 2022
In their view, moderation would be carried out by indexers, operating similarly to search engines on the internet:
‘There is not a single company that could decide what will be published. Instead, there is a market of companies determining what to deliver to their audiences.’
Back in 2019, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey объявил the creation of a decentralised social networks initiative in 2019. In February 2022, Bluesky PBLLC was established.
In April, after Twitter’s decision to sell the social network to Elon Musk, the project reminded of its independence.