Key Takeaways
- AT Protocol will rely on algorithmic choice, interoperation, account portability and performance to stand out
- Users can also choose ‘no algorithms’ for the content on their feeds.
- AT Protocol will enable users to identify themselves by compatible domain names like ‘@alice.com’, which would then map to cryptographic URLs
On Tuesday, the decentralized social media platform backed by Twitter founder and Former CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky, revealed documentation and announced the Authenticated Transport (AT) Protocol.
“The “AT Protocol” is a new federated social network. It integrates ideas from the latest decentralized technologies into a simple, fast, and open network, ” reads the official blog post.
Explaining what federated means, Bluesky states that instead of one site running the network, one can have many sites providing an option for providers, individuals, and businesses to self-host if they want.
As per the official announcement, AT Protocol will rely on account portability, algorithmic choice, interoperation, and performance to stand out. Bluesky claims the Account Portability factor will enable users to move their accounts from one provider to another without risking the loss of their data.
The AT Protocol also includes an open algorithms mode, so users have more control over their experience, says Bluesky. Users can also choose ‘no algorithms’ for the content on their feeds.
Bluesky adds that the AT Protocol will enable users to identify themselves by compatible domain names like ‘@alice.com’, which would then map to cryptographic URLs.Dorsey believes the feature will allow people to exercise more autonomy and control over their online identities.
The AT Protocol’s interoperability feature will also use a schema-based interoperation framework called ‘Lexicon’ to finetune coordination in connected services. “The world needs a diverse market of connected services to ensure healthy competition,” the Bluesky team said. “Interoperation needs to feel like second nature to the Web.”
The firm is currently working on developing a social app called Bluesky for which users may join the waitlist. As part of its online identity management, AT Protocol will enable account swaps between providers that Bluesky said will not incur any data loss or impact social graphs.
The Bluesky team was initially formed from a five-person small, independent group of developers by then-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in 2019. The group was formed to create a “decentralized” standard for social media platforms that respects peoples’ online identities and is free from government and corporate influence.
“For social media, we’d like this team to either find an existing decentralized standard they can help move forward or, failing that, create one from scratch,” Dorsey had said in 2019
