Free Our Feeds campaign!

Free Our Feeds is a recently launched campaign to create a social media ecosystem free from billionaire control. Some notable figures in the digital world are leading this campaign. However, I am a bit upset with focusing on the AT Protocol instead of an existing and relatively adopted ActivityPub protocol. Below, you will see the information. Can someone with more coding knowledge explain whether this is a good choice?

Here are the key aspects of this initiative:

Campaign Goals

1. Raise $30 million over three years, with an immediate goal of $4 million[2][4].
2. Establish a public interest foundation to support the AT Protocol, which powers the Bluesky social network[2].
3. Build independent infrastructure, including a second “relay” system to ensure access to content even if Bluesky restricts data access[2].
4. Fund developers to create new applications on the AT Protocol[2].

Key Features

• Open-Source Technology: Utilizes the AT Protocol, allowing anyone to build social media applications[2].
• Decentralization: Aims to create a network of interconnected apps and companies focused on users’ interests[1].
• Independence: Seeks to protect the technology from venture capital pressures and potential “billionaire capture”[2][4].

Leadership and Support

• Led by nine custodians, including executives from Mozilla, Social Web Foundation, and other tech nonprofits[2][3].
• Supported by notable figures such as Mark Ruffalo, Alex Winter, Cory Doctorow, and Jimmy Wales[4][5].

Timing and Context

• Launched in January 2025, shortly after controversial changes to Meta’s content moderation policies[2][5].
• Responds to concerns about concentrated ownership and control of major social platforms[2][4].

Future Plans

• Establish the foundation by the end of 2025[2].
• Launch an innovation fund for developers building alternative social media on Bluesky’s open protocols[3].
• Create independently hosted tech infrastructure to ensure Bluesky’s content remains accessible[3].

Free Our Feeds represents a significant effort to reshape the social media landscape, aiming to create a more open, decentralized, and user-centric ecosystem free from the influence of billionaire owners and venture capital pressures.

Citations:

1. Free Our Feeds Official Website
2. Free Our Feeds Takes on Billionaire-Controlled Social Media Platforms
3. Canadian Tech Advocates Join Movement to Free Social Media Feeds from Billionaire Control
4. Free Our Feeds Campaign Aims to “Billionaire-Proof” Bluesky’s Tech
5. Bluesky and the Free Our Feeds Movement
6. Free Our Feeds Campaign Launches to Liberate Social Media Through New Ecosystem
7. Bluesky and the Free Our Feeds Initiative

ActivityPub and AT Protocol (ATP) are currently not directly compatible, but there are ongoing discussions and efforts to explore potential interoperability between the two protocols.

Key Differences

ActivityPub and ATP have some fundamental differences in their design and approach:

1. Account Portability: ATP prioritizes account portability, allowing users to migrate between servers easily. This feature is not as robust in ActivityPub[7].

2. Scalability: ATP uses aggregating applications to merge activity from users’ hosts, while ActivityPub relies on message delivery between a network of smaller nodes[7].

3. Data Structure: ATP uses a custom schema system called Lexicon, while ActivityPub is based on ActivityStreams and JSON-LD[7].

4. Network Architecture: ActivityPub uses per-server inboxes and outboxes, while ATP has a concept of a unified firehose for global public content[9].

Interoperability Efforts

Despite these differences, there are ongoing discussions and initiatives to explore potential interoperability:

1. Bridging Technologies: Some developers are considering ways to transform and represent content between the two protocols[9].

Challenges

Achieving full interoperability faces several challenges:

1. Privacy and Moderation: Differences in how the protocols handle privacy, safety, and moderation need to be reconciled[9].

While direct compatibility between ActivityPub and ATP is not currently implemented, the ongoing discussions and community interest suggest that some form of interoperability may be possible in the future. However, it would likely require substantial effort and coordination between the developers of both protocols.

Citations:

1. ActivityPub – Wikipedia
2. Integrating ActivityPub with ATProto
3. Integrating ActivityPub Within Solid Specs
4. ActivityPub and ATProto: Integration Overview
5. Will ActivityPub and AT Protocol Blend?
6. ActivityPub E2EE Integration Models
7. ATProto Guides: FAQ
8. Interoperability and the Commons
9. Threads, Meta, and ActivityPub Test with Mastodon
10. Discussion on ATProto and ActivityPub Integration
11. MIMI AIM Draft – Integration Framework
12. ActivityPub W3C Specification
13. ActivityPub Documentation – NextGraph
14. ActivityPub Step-on-Board Integration Guide
15. Compatibility with ActivityPub – WordPress Support

We can identify several platforms that use either the AT Protocol or ActivityPub. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms and their respective protocols:

AT Protocol

The AT Protocol is primarily used by:

1. Bluesky: The social network developed by Bluesky Social PBC as a proof of concept for the AT Protocol[3].

ActivityPub

ActivityPub is more widely adopted and is used by numerous platforms, including:

1. Mastodon: A popular microblogging platform[4].

It’s worth noting that while these platforms use different protocols, there are ongoing efforts to create bridges between AT Protocol and ActivityPub to allow for potential interoperability in the future[11]. However, as of now, direct communication between platforms using different protocols (e.g., Bluesky and Mastodon) is not possible without third-party tools[5].

Citations:

1. AT Protocol Official Website
2. ActivityPub Blog on Ghost
3. AT Protocol – Wikipedia
4. ActivityPub – Wikipedia
5. What is AT Protocol? – Comparitech
6. SocialHub: ActivityPub Software Discussions
7. Bluesky Blog: The AT Protocol
8. Big List of ActivityPub Resources on GitHub
9. Bluesky and the AT Protocol – Dembot
10. ActivityPub – W3C Wiki
11. What is Bluesky’s AT Protocol and How Can it Improve Social Media?
12. Resource Recommendations for Learning About Bluesky on Reddit
13. Awesome ActivityPub Resources on GitHub
14. Advanced Guides on AT Protocol – Bluesky Docs