Tech experts fight to keep Bluesky out of billionaire hands
- The 'Free Our Feeds' campaign aims to protect Bluesky as an independently run social media platform.
- Notable personalities have shown their support for the campaign to ensure user empowerment and control.
- The initiative seeks to raise funds to create independent infrastructure for Bluesky, promoting a healthier social media ecosystem.
In recent weeks, a coalition of tech experts and advocates has initiated a campaign urging the protection of Bluesky, a social media platform aimed at decentralization and user empowerment. Created by Jack Dorsey, one of the original co-founders of Twitter, Bluesky offers users an opportunity to have greater control over their online interactions. The goal of this campaign, named 'Free Our Feeds,' is to raise $30 million over three years, with a focus on establishing an independent foundation that maintains accessibility to content and data across the platform regardless of future corporate decisions. This move is partly a response to increasing concerns about the influence of billionaires in social media, notably Elon Musk's control over X/Twitter, which has raised alarms among various digital rights advocates. The campaign has received endorsements from influential figures, including author Cory Doctorow and actor Mark Ruffalo, demonstrating a united front against the monopolization of digital platforms in today's social media landscape. The pressing need for an independent infrastructure is emphasized as a way to promote a healthier social media ecosystem free from the control of a single entity or billionaire. The advocates behind 'Free Our Feeds' assert that their vision extends beyond merely bolstering one platform, but aims to fundamentally secure the future of open and fair digital communication for all users. As discussions around the campaign continue, it serves as a reminder of the ongoing debates surrounding the ownership and governance of digital public spaces.