Post #3373082

2026-06-17 07:28 UTC

#WSocial will open up their beta program today… and I have a SCOOP for you: it appears that they have quietly gone closed-source! This is ironic, considering that the @EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu just unveiled their Tech Sovereignty Package, emphasizing the importance of #OpenSource. And yet they have migrated their main ATproto accounts to W Social - whose code can no longer be inspected! My full article - with a great analysis by @aral@mastodon.ar.al: 🔗: https://blog.elenarossini.com/w-social-public-institutions-and-the-theater-of-european-digital-sovereignty/ #FOSS #DigitalSovereignty #BigTech

Replies (2)

@krystian_kulesz@mastodon.com.pl 2026-06-18 08:41

@_elena@mastodon.social @aral@mastodon.ar.al I'm recently digging in the topic. Did anyone already asked @EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu the question why it's members are promoting closed-source Big-Tech-wannabe-company platform? Or maybe @EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu already responded somewhere?

Open ##3373081
@_elena@mastodon.social 2026-06-17 09:28

This was definitely NOT on my bingo card for this year: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen taking a moment between G7 meetings to promote the launch of the closed-source, for-profit network #WSocial. 🔗 : https://web.archive.org/web/20260617083436/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rentzhog_kind-of-cool-to-see-ursula-von-der-leyen-ugcPost-7472769475885461504-hwct/ I fear this may be a harbinger of things to come: MANDATORY AGE VERIFICATION for social media across Europe. I hope I'm wrong on this. #privacy #SurveillanceCapitalism #EUBigTech

Open ##3456448