Meta is working on a decentralized social application

Image credits: Techcrunch

If a social media phenomenon is gaining popularity, Meta will try to jump on it. We have seen the company copy different types of formats from stories to short videos after seeing the success of other platforms. Now, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company is working on a decentralized text-based app.

Meta confirmed this development in a statement but did not reveal details about when the app will launch.

“We are exploring a stand-alone decentralized social network for sharing text-based updates. We believe there is an opportunity for a separate space where content creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests,” said a Meta spokesperson.

This new decentralized application, codenamed P92, is still in development – as first reported before MoneyControl. According to the documentation seen by the post, the app will allow users to log in with their Instagram credentials. This may annoy people who may not want to share this data with another Meta app.

report from Curriculum He said the project will be overseen by Instagram head Adam Mosseri. The report added that the company is already engaging the legal department to identify early privacy concerns before the app becomes public.

The Meta movement is seen as an attempt to build a Twitter alternative or Mastodon competitor. The latter gained popularity after Elon Musk took over Twitter. The decentralized network is part of Fediverse – a network of decentralized servers – that supports the ActivityPub protocol. The new Meta app also plans to support ActivityPub which will make it easier to connect to other instances like Mastodon, according to MoneyControl.

There are plenty of other tools that have implemented (or plan to implement) support for ActivityPub including Tumblr, Flipboard, and Flickr.

But decentralization is not limited to this protocol. Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky last week launched its iOS app in beta. Messaging apps like Rocket.chat have adopted the Matrix protocol.

However, former Twitter engineer Blaine Cook told TechCrunch last year that having competing protocols is a good thing.

“I think protocol diversity is important, and so is diversity of applications built on top of the protocols. However, I strongly believe that interoperability between ActivityPub and Bluesky wouldn’t be difficult. The only thing that prevents, for example, interoperability between Twitter and Facebook timelines are the protection policies that These companies follow.

It’s important to remember that Meta has tried to create new apps and experiences that haven’t always been successful. In the past few years, it has wiped out experiences like anonymous teen app tbh, Cameo-like Super app, Neighborhoods Nextdoor clone, couples app Tuned, Campus student-focused social network, video speed dating service Sparked, and TikTok clone Lasso only from Order tip of the iceberg. So it wouldn’t be surprising if the new decentralized experience was discontinued within two years after launch.