By
Bhushan Akolkar
April 24th, 2024
The new social app has a similar user interface to that of Twitter.
Jack Dorsey-backed decentralized Twitter alternative, Bluesky has launched on the App store. The app launched on the App Store on February 17. While only a private beta launch, the app has been installed by about 2000 users, according to data.ai. However, the availability on the App store suggests that a public launch may be just around the corner.
Origins and Progress
Jack Dorsey first mulled the idea of a decentralized Twitter alternative after the platform banned Donald Trump in 2019. While noting the need for Twitter to moderate its platform as a company, he shared that the ideals of an open internet negate that. Dorsey said, “A company making a business decision to moderate itself is different from a government removing access, yet can feel much the same.” Not long after, the company began to incubate Bluesky.
In 2022, Bluesky received $13 million in funding from Twitter and broke off as a separate entity. It also recruited Jack Dorsey into its board alongside a former Twitter security engineer. Since then, the mandate has been to “research and develop technologies that enable open and decentralized public conversation.”
By October, the company introduced the Bluesky social app. It also revealed the Authenticated Transfer Protocol (AT protocol) which integrates ideas from various existing decentralized technology.
Features of the Decentralized Twitter Alternative Bluesky
According to TechCrunch, the new social app has a similar user interface to that of Twitter. With features like creating posts, sharing, muting, blocking accounts, reposts, follows, and replies, there is little difference between the beta version of Bluesky and Twitter. However, there are no options for DMs nor are there advanced options like creating lists or rooms.
Despite these obvious similarities, Bluesky is set to run on the AT protocol, making its users free from external regulation. Thus, unlike Twitter with its moderation policies, Bluesky is set to become a decentralized social network protocol.
By using the AT protocol, users will be able to self-host and have multiple websites since servers will be able to communicate with one another in a novel way. With several other Twitter alternatives like T2, Spill, and Post in the market, it remains to be seen if Blusky will gain traction.
