After the blue bird, Jack Dorsey remains in the blue. Bluesky, or blue sky in English, is the new baby of the former boss of Twitter. The project was born in 2019, when Jack Dorsey was still at the head of the network bought by Elon Musk. Twitter has also funded Bluesky to the tune of $13 million. “The Bluesky PBLLC company created this year is an independent company focused on research and development in decentralized social networks“, however, made a point of specifying the team behind this project. It was last April, when the future of the social network of the little blue bird was still uncertain.
Last October, Bluesky announced the opening of a waiting list for Internet users curious to test the beta version of the project. A success, since in just two days, 30,000 people registered.
With Bluesky, Jack Dorsey wants to offer an “open and decentralized” social network, allowing different networks to be able to interact with each other, while respecting a common protocol. In this way, anyone can develop their own network with their moderation rules and algorithm.
In May 2022, the company unveiled its first protocol, Authenticated Data Experiment or ADX, since renamed “Authenticated Transfer Protocol” (“Authenticated Transfer Protocol”) or “AT Protocol”. Clearly, this system would provide access to several services, capable of communicating with each other thanks to decentralization.
Control and transparency
At the heart of Bluesky’s offering is the ability to control the algorithm: “Algorithms dictate what we see and who we can reach. We must have control of our algorithms if we want to have confidence in our online spaces. The AT protocol includes an open algorithmic mode so users can better control their experience“, can we read on the Twitter account of the project. For the moment, no details have been given as to how to “control” this algorithm.
Control is the key word in Bluesky’s speech. A good way to contrast with the reputation of current social networks. The project will allow a user to manage their data and store it wherever they want: “A person’s online identity should not be held by companies that have no responsibility to their users. With the AT protocol, you can transfer your account from one provider to another without losing any of your data“.
In addition to attracting 30,000 potential new users, Bluesky also posted several job offers, at a time when Elon Musk laid off a good part of Twitter’s employees.