Continue reading on Unthread

The point is that "that network" is AT protocol - they didn't create their own - I'm struggling to find a good analogy but, let's say AT protocol is the highways and roads we all drive on, and Bluesky (and others) are like towns and villages, where everyone is welcome.

Then there's Wsocial. It's like a redneck hick town (sorry actual redneck hicks) that popped up, claimed a bunch of territory as "theirs" and lets you live there as long as you show them ID. But they're still using those same roads - so of course you get out-of-towners coming in. And those out-of-towners didn't have to show ID to pass by and perhaps even interact with your citizens. In the mean time, people who have showed ID to the sleepy old coot who's supposed to stamp approval on it who are waiting for said sleepy old coot to wake up get put in a locked room and told to wait there until, well, the sleepy old coot wakes up and does the thing.

As far as "bypassing" - there's nothing to bypass. AT protocol was designed as a cooperative protocol; where one single account would let you access all apps that use it. So now in effect you have a bunch of redneck hick mayors saying "our citizens are not allowed to visit anyone outside our little town" which, in my personal entirely un-humble opinion is some seriously funky over-reach bullshit.

Couple that with perusing W Social's board and advisory board (hint: a fuckton of techbro's and venture capitalists), the whole "trust your feed" and "your data is yours" and "digital sovereignty" starts looking like awfully thin excuses for... well... I have no idea.

I can guess, though.