Bluesky, a social media app that uses a decentralized design and is backed by Jack Dorsey, has its live beta on the Apple App Store. It is currently invite only.
Decentralized social media hype is building as the Jack Dorsey-backed DApp Bluesky hit the Apple App Store. Currently, in invite-only mode, the application has gained more and more users.
This testing and feedback phase suggests that a full release may appear sooner rather than later.
Bluesky is an alternative to Twitter, which made big headlines in 2022. Jay Graber, the CEO of Bluesky, made it clear that there is no blockchain involved in Bluesky, tweeting about this misrepresentation in October 2022. Instead, Bluesky uses a “ federated network”. However, Graber notes that Bluesky is built on the AT protocol, allowing easier integration with cryptocurrencies.
The protocol, which was first called ADX, was renamed in October 2022. Federated networks are essentially a means by which servers can communicate with each other. The Bluesky team attributed four unique qualities to the AT protocol: account portability, algorithmic choice, interoperation, and performance.
These qualities mean that users have their own accounts, allowing them to switch from one provider to another without losing any data or social graphs. Users will also have more control over their experience and improved algorithms and load times.
Bluesky was first announced in 2019 and has since offered updates to the app. It is one of many social media apps that has gained attention recently, with decentralized social media app Mastodon also seeing strong growth. However, Bluesky focuses more on the protocol itself.
Not just Bluesky, Dorsey also supported Nostr
Dorsey’s interest in the evolution of the web is well known in technology circles, and his involvement extends beyond Bluesky. He also supported the Nostr protocol, a Twitter rival that uses the Lightning Network. He donated 14 BTC to the protocol in December 2022.
Another prominent figure who has shown support for Nostr is Edward Snowden. The famous whistleblower referred to Nostr saying that “no one owns and everyone is free to swim”.
Nostr stands for “Notes and other things transmitted by relays”. It supports Bitcoin payments over the Lightning Network, and some believe this could drive adoption of the scaling solution.
Dorsey is very interested in decentralized technology and crypto
Dorsey is a very influential figure in the tech space, and his influence is now coming to decentralized technologies. Efforts of his include Block, formerly known as Square, and this is a strong representation of his interest in cryptocurrencies.
The company, when it was known as Square, bought $50 million worth of bitcoin, and Dorsey believes that Bitcoin is the currency of the internet. For him, venture capitalists have already saturated web3, so he prefers to focus on “web5”.
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Disclaimer
BeInCrypto has reached out to the company or individual involved in the story for an official statement on the recent developments, but has yet to hear back.