As soon as a social network emerges that gains popularity, Meta will almost certainly attempt to acquire it. We have seen in the past that the company copies various types of formats from stories to short vertical videos (so-called reels) that first became popular on other platforms.
Meta is now working on a decentralized text application, which they confirmed in a press release that did not provide details on when they plan to launch the application.
– We are exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates. We believe there is an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely news about their interests – said a Meta spokesperson.
This new decentralized application, codenamed P92, is still in development, as first reported by MoneyControl. According to documents released by the company, the application will allow users to sign up using their Instagram profiles. This could be a concern for people who may not want to share that data with another Meta application, TechCrunch reported.
A report from Platformer states that the project will be overseen by Instagram head Adam Mosseri. The company is already involving its legal department to ‘sniff out’ early privacy issues before the application goes public, the report adds.
Healthy Competition
Meta’s move is seen as an attempt to build a Twitter alternative or a competitor to Mastodon. The latter gained popularity after Elon Musk took over Twitter. The decentralized network is part of the Fediverse, a network of decentralized servers that supports the ActivityPub protocol. Meta’s new application also plans to support ActivityPub, making it easier to connect with other networks like Mastodon, according to MoneyControl.
