Ivan Sigal

My dear friend and distance cycling partner @natematias.bsky.social is riding the equivalent of Mt. Everest this weekend, as a fundraiser for @globalvoices.org, my online home for over 16 years. Please support Nathan and Global Voices! globalvoices.org/2025/07/24/f...

Excellent to see end-to-end encryption messaging for open social and a great complement to atproto, thanks to @tessa.germnetwork.com and team at @germnetwork.com .

It's from Jim Jordan's 145 report on the DSA and censorship, which is a bizarre mix of (1) correct in describing the DSA's mechanics and sources of concern and (2) super hazy in establishing that bad things are actually happening, despite all that subpoenaing.
judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

I won't disagree on this point; it's evidently true that a vast majority of people have yet to switch to open social platforms. And most won't switch because of open, but because it serves their perceived needs without too much hassle. But also, better options don't just "happen." we have agency.

@seabass.bsky.social makes the argument that open social is not a utopian experiment. It works now, should be treated as critical infrastructure in Europe, and receive appropriate investment.

Europe Can Build Its Own Social Media Sebastian Vogelsang thinks policymakers are overlooking the potential for developing platforms on decentralized, open protocols.

Open social "platforms are fundamentally different, in principle and design, from American behemoths like Instagram and X. They restore control to users, reduce gatekeeping, and encourage innovation" says @seabass.bsky.social in a new essay: www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/e...

Very true. Inertia is a strong force. Also awareness.

Consequences of years of lousy and extractive US social media platforms. People want to leave; they just need somewhere better to go.

Free Our Feeds - Update #3, July 2025 It's been a busy two months since our last update, with lots of news for both Free Our Feeds and energy in the ATProto ecosystem. And of course, ever-evolving drama among the billionaire class of soci...

Very pleased to share latest update on Free Our Feeds activities, including strategic roadmap, fundraising, grants and investments, and links to speaking and writing: free-our-feeds.ghost.io/free-our-fee...

To follow @globalvoices.org people here on Bluesky, here's the starter pack. Brilliant writers and translators all over the world, telling it like it is, without fear or favor. bsky.app/starter-pack...

Global Voices Fundraising Ethics · Global Voices Community Blog An explanation of how we decide to accept a source of funding for Global Voices.

GV's funds go to support editorial and administrative teams, who in turn support writers, translators, researchers and advocates. It's a virtual, lean collective model and it's worked for 20 years. More about @globalvoices.org funding model: community.globalvoices.org/guide/organi...

Important to note: @globalvoices.org actually took almost no foreign aid funds, and not much corporate support either. We are backed firstly by volunteer contributions, mission-related services, and philanthropies. But secondary effects in giving affect a wide range of communities and projects.

My alternative home for over 16 years, @globalvoices.org, is running a donation drive in the face of a difficult funding environment. You all know why: the obliteration of foreign aid. They need your help. GV is a precious resource in today's media ecosystem: community powered, local expression.

I am looking forward to attending this!

On Aug 21st, we're hosting an invite-only summit where publishers and protocol builders can talk about the current challenges, including an uncertain future: AI-based user agents are now a core interface to the internet for over half-a-billion active users.

More / apply to attend pfp.unternet.co

Protocols for Publishers Showcase · Luma Protocols for Publishers is an event and workshop series that brings together publishers, developers, and researchers to explore open protocols for a…

Protocols for Publishers is hosting two days of discussions in NYC in late August.

On Aug 20th, join us for an evening showcase of discussion across ATProto, MCP, Web Applets, Web Payments -- exploring protocols for a sustainable agentic web, and futures that aren't disintermediated by platforms

Eurosky's initial project is to plan for, design and build a Commons for Content Moderation (CoCoMo) for ATProto apps, to ease the burden of content moderation obligations for small developers. Very important in European context. @freeourfeeds.com is providing some funding for this.

The Reuters story has one error: Eurosky is currently a mostly a volunteer effort; it is supported by in-kind labor. It is functionally an initiative of @freeourfeeds.com, a crowdsourced, democratically funded mechanism. It is not funded by governments, though Eurosky are talking to several of them.

eurosky

Eurosky is a collaborative of several people/initiatives, including @flashes.blue, @sherifea.bsky.social, @robin.berjon.com. Details on new landing page, which launched today: www.eurosky.social

European project Eurosky aims to reduce reliance on US tech giants BERLIN (Reuters) -A group of European technology entrepreneurs has unveiled the Eurosky initiative, a government-backed project to create infrastructure for social media offerings and reduce reliance ...

Reuters covers Eurosky Initiative, which is an effort to build support and common tools for developers and communities building on the AT Protocol. tech.yahoo.com/social-media...

The quote should have said "talking to" governments about support. Sucks when a story's not quite accurate. Just saw it myself and was about to post about. But looks like I'm doing that here.

Reuters (slightly) misreported. It's funded by Free Our Feeds at the moment, which means that it's mostly crowdfunded, and produced by volunteer or in-kind labor. There's no large government grant behind this at present.

This is a Free Our Feeds initiative. The landing page explains how. Landing page went live today, and several things happening. We're working on an update to share details, hopefully public by end of the week

4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.

Here's something to cheer us up - maybe the first bit of properly positive news analysis I've seen in months: www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

My friends always say I should be more mercenary; I've learned to take that as a complement! A pleasure to get to know you and your work as well.

Bay Area ATProto Meetup · Luma Let's build the future of the social web! AT Protocol is the open-source social layer powering Bluesky and the emerging "Atmosphere" of social apps like…

Hey out there to our Bay Area ATProto nerds and ATProto curious friends. @germnetwork.com and ATProto Community Fund are hosting an ATProto meetup at the Internet @archive.org this coming Tuesday July 8th! Come on out, hack and chat: lu.ma/mf4n7jbi

Grin.

All of the above?

Schadenfreude, no?