· by prikkelperron.bsky.social ·1d ago · view on bsky.app ↗

pds.wsocial.network (pds.wsocial.network)

This is an AT Protocol Personal Data Server hosted in Europe by WSocial.eu

When institutions increasingly embrace identity-based systems and private infrastructure that can centralize control, those are authoritarian signals that deserve scrutiny. Why should an #EU institution depend on #WSocial infrastructure at all?

#eu #wsocial

3 comments — live from bluesky

Katrijn · 2 · 1d ago

#WSocial is based on verified users and identity-based access. And now we are seeing political figures in the centre-right/ #EPP circles of the European Parliament embracing this — including Kai Zenner, chief of staff to MEP Axel Voss (EPP).

Katrijn · 7 · 1d ago

To be clear: I am in favour of #opensource. I am in favour of robust #security. I am in favour of European #digital sovereignty. But none of these things requires us to regard identity-based access to #socialmedia as the norm. 'Security' must not become a licence for ever-increasing identification

Katrijn · 2 · 1d ago

and control. The #ATprotocol itself is not the real problem here. It is an open protocol designed to decentralise parts of the #socialmedia stack. The question is what we build on top of it: identity requirements? Verification? Governance? And who manages the infrastructure on which people depend?

Katrijn · 4 · 1d ago

When the presence of an #EU institution appears to be linked to #WSocial ’s infrastructure, whilst at the same time being embraced by political actors in the #EPP /centre-right sphere, I think it is entirely legitimate to ask questions. Please: enlighten us! @europarl.europa.eu @ec.europa.eu

Katrijn · 3 · 1d ago

Why #WSocial? Why this infrastructure? And what safeguards are in place to prevent identity-based digital participation from becoming the norm?

John O Connell · 0 · 1d ago

#wsocial & widentity process is a similar to the upcoming 'EU Digital Wallet' so by the end of the year it will definitely 'becoming the norm?' 🤔 Partially the reason, I signed up want to experience the process involved.

Katrijn · 3 · 1d ago

To conclude: If this is what European #digitalsovereignty looks like, then forgive me for asking: Who exactly are we trying to make sovereign — the citizen, or the system? Because as soon as you need an identity to have your say, a private platform to host you, and an institution that tells you

Katrijn · 5 · 1d ago

it’s all for your own safety… then that’s not freedom with a better user experience. That’s authoritarian control with a nicer logo:

Astrid Christofori · 5 · 1d ago

Thank you for this thread. These are exactly the aspects I see as a problem (or even danger).

AngryDutchman · 1 · 1d ago

Danger. For sure. Just look at Flock camera's in the US. Sort of got slid in under the same pretense, sort of used the same wording ("security" "for the greater good" yadda yadda) and now? Not a week goes by or there's some little scandal or other involving those things.

continue thread on bsky.app →

AngryDutchman · 0 · 1d ago

It's business as usual, really. Except this time instead of banking fully on the age old "won't someone think of the ~children~" it's blended that to end up with "Well it's for security reasons. Because you know. Security! Oh yeah and like, children or something. Yeah. Security. For children."...

AngryDutchman · 1 · 1d ago

... It's just the same old bit of theater pulled out, given a glow up, and put back out there. EU has been trying this same thing for a decade now under various guises and has gotten it's nose bopped with a newspaper every time.

Katrijn · 1 · 1d ago

I like the Blues in your bio

AngryDutchman · 2 · 1d ago

Me too - and it's even funnier because blue is my favorite color too so I totally got 2 birds with 1 stone there 🤣

Gizmo the Cat 😼😸👀👇 · 0 · 1d ago

As far ive read the developer pulled (or parts) the project from OSS to CSS

Tynan Purdy ⁂ · 1 · 1d ago

They’re perfectly capable of running their own infrastructure! They do this for mastodon today! They should run their own PDS

Katrijn · 4 · 1d ago

They should indeed. But 'they' chose not to. Hence the questions. There are reasons behind this rather obscure W Social arrangement that are still largely unknown. The argument that they had to use W because European institutions simply need a European social network makes absolutely no sense.