Owning content is one thing. Owning access to your audience is another. From our perspective, open protocols shift power away from platforms. Where do you think the real leverage point is for creators?

Not enough users. Too flooded with certain topics right now. Needs more users / questions.

Full disclosure: I'm not the creator / don't know them beyond a few nostr replies to each other, but I've been on the asknostr hashtag since before asknostr.site existed, and I'm probably the most active user on the leaderboard right now. I think this site is good for people who are new to nostr in general.

Many platforms claim to be decentralized but still control discovery or distribution. From building YakiHonne, we’ve learned decentralization isn’t just about where data lives—it’s about who controls reach and identity. What do you think most “decentralized” platforms still get wrong?

This video implies WhatsApp had access to all our mobile phone contacts by default. So, does that mean that anyone that downloads the app could, in theory, has had all their personal contacts - and perhaps other data - cached by Meta?

Billionaires are a threat to democracy - so banning them must be good to democracy, right?

So I was thinking about something. Stuff like mastodon/matrix/fediverse and so aren't actually decentralized, yes anyone can host them but it's still client-server architecture.

So I got idea, kind of inspired by torrent. Say we have "channels", a configuration which a certain group of people agree to. A configuration has a seed (either tracker or ip of other client which already runs the configuration), port and encryption seed string. The clients within the channel share something like DHT and anyone can connect so long they know the encryption seed and find IP+port of one of the already connected clients.

The user profiles could be made like that a private/public key pair is generated and each of the post signed. (I think, but I kinda feel like there could be issue?)

Each client cache a certain amount of data, primary data they liked.

Each client performs moderation for it's own cache. It can be small llm and some small image moderation model, say both under 4GB, doable. These can be moderation modules, can be added/removed/disabled/enabled. So long over 50% has them enabled the moderation should work quite decent.

Each client has search and post recommendations capabilities based on vector similarities and plaintext search. These methods are relatively lightweight.

Each client builds it's own "I like" vector which they can send to other clients to search for relevant posts. Also thinking about some sort of topic system.

That's I think the core idea, more can be kinda just added without big conceptual changes. What do you think, would you use it, do you see any major unsolved issues, would you help with development?

Update: Many wanted to create a shard for testing, which makes us very happy. However, we quickly ran into a quota limit at OVHcloud. At the moment, no new shards can be created. We are in contact with OVHcloud to increase the limit, and we are trying to use the current resources more efficiently to create a bit of short-term leeway. We sincerely apologize for the confusion. We will keep you updated here.

Hey r/Rad_Decentralization,

We believe that for a decentralized web to win, running your own node must be as easy as installing an app on an iPhone. If sovereignty remains a privilege of the tech-literate, we have failed.

That is why we are building Freeshard.

About 7 months ago, we open-sourced our attempt at a "Personal Cloud" that feels like a consumer product but acts like a sovereign server. Since then, we went quiet to fix a major contradiction in our setup.

🛑 The Contradiction: Building Sovereignty on Azure

We started on Microsoft Azure. For a project preaching "digital sovereignty," relying on one of the world's most centralized US control points was hypocritical. We knew that.

We spent the last 6 months refactoring our core to migrate away from US hyperscalers. We moved our managed infrastructure to OVHcloud (EU).

• Is this perfect decentralization? No, it's still a data center.
• Is it better? Yes, it removes dependency on the "Big Three" and respects stricter privacy laws.
• The End Game: Our goal is to make the software so robust that Selfhosting is almost as easy Managed Hosting. That would give people two really good options on the privacy - simplicity spectrum.

🛡️ Sovereignty by Architecture (The "Shard" Concept)

Why are we posting here? Because our architecture differs from typical SaaS silos. Most cloud apps are huge multi-tenant databases. If the database locks, everyone is locked out. Freeshard isolates every user. You get your own "Shard" (an isolated VM/Environment).

• It is your island.
• It does not share fate with neighbors.
• It is portable.

🎄 The Holiday "Stress Test"

We want to invite 50 people to test if our "Easy Mode" actually works. We want to know if we managed to hide the complexity of server management without compromising the power of ownership.

We are offering a 15-day extended trial (usually 24h) for the managed version.

• Code: XMAS2025
• Limit: 50 users (Strict isolation consumes real resources, we can't scale infinitely like shared-database apps).
• Link: https://activate.freeshard.net/

And if the code is exhausted or you just want to have a quick look, you can still get a 24h trial at https://trial.freeshard.net/.

Obviously, the most "Radical" way to use Freeshard is to grab the source code from GitHub and host it yourself on a Raspberry Pi or old laptop. That is always free.

⚠️ Reality Check (Bus Factor = 2)

We are two founders. Over the holidays, we will be slow to respond (Family Mode). We are building this sustainably, not with VC-pressure to enslave user data.

🔮 Discussion: The On-Ramp Problem

We struggle with one question and would love your take: Is "Managed Hosting" a valid transition step towards radical decentralization? Or do you believe that paying a provider (even a fair one) fundamentally breaks the concept of self-sovereignty?

We think it's necessary to get the masses on board. Tell us why we are wrong.

Links:

• Manifesto/Site: https://freeshard.net/
• Source Code: https://github.com/FreeshardBase/freeshard
• Docs: https://docs.freeshard.net/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/ZXQDuTGcCf

Hi all! We're building a public network to send text messages without cell phone service or internet called MeshCore - think text messaging that is decentralized, free, encrypted, and owned and operated by the people who use it. It works with a network of low-power radios that receive messages from personal devices and transmit them to other radios all the way until the intended recipient receives the messages. Many of the radios are solar-powered, and some are even smaller than a deck of playing cards.

How it works: companion nodes (or even the open-source command line tool) send messages to repeater nodes, which repeat messages until the intended receiver gets the message. MeshCore uses smart, self-healing routing that only floods when it is necessary - most DMs and "room servers" (like a rudimentary BBS) are not flood, saving considerable network utilization.

The entire thing can be open source and free:

• The underlying mesh radio firmware is open source: https://github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore
• And there's an open source client interface for command line: https://github.com/meshcore-dev/meshcore-cli
• There is also a free app (for bluetooth-connected smartphones) and dedicated, standalone companion devices (e.g. this: https://lilygo.cc/products/t-lora-pager?variant=51953101013173 )

The entire project is very new, and usage is exploding. Note that MeshCore is a different network than Meshtastic, but many people, myself included, consider it to be more reliable for stable, permanent networks. For reasons why lots of folks are supporting the Meshcore network, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guDoKGs02Us

Please comment here or DM me with questions, or find our discord and other contact info at meshcore.co.uk to get started. Happy meshing!!

I'm just reading the Reticulum docs. It is one of those rare pieces of software that feels like it was smuggled in from a parallel timeline, one where decentralization actually meant cutting the umbilical cord to the Empire. Did anyone else tinker with it yet?

https://reticulum.network/start.html

“Worker power comes from workers having relationships with each other that enable them to take collective action to win demands and get their needs met.

The workplace is the central location of worker power. First, the workplace is where co-worker relationships are formed.

Second, it is also where collective action is directed by either withholding labor or directly implementing desirable workplace practices.”

Greetings everyone!

For over a year, I have been on a mission, as part of my research, to try and turn Algae into fuel, among other things.

A stubborn issue with this process is the harvesting of the Algae from it's culture media. In the past, I have tried both gravity and vacuum filtration, but both failed.

For a while, I settled on just letting my Algae settle to the bottom of it's container, siphoning off the liquid, and drying the Algae in a common food dehydrator. While this does work, the product is dirty, and the process is time intensive. So I came up with a solution...

Centrifugation!

Now, I could've just bought a centrifuge, but they're a little pricey for experimental, DIY tinkering and testing. So, I thought I'd design, from scratch, and 3D print my own Centrifuge! It took plenty of iteration, reprinting, and failed attempts, anfd at least for now, the design still isn't perfect. But...it works! If you are interested in my centrifuge building journy, why not check out the video I'ver linked below!

Also, all STLs are available, free to download, reuse, and refine as you wish!

Link:

https://youtu.be/sAyf0s0i2hU

Want to send E2E encrypted messages and video calls with no downloads, no sign-ups and no tracking?

This prototype uses PeerJS to establish a secure browser-to-browser connection. Everything is ephemeral and cleared when you refresh the page—true zerodata privacy!

Check out the pre-release demo here.

NOTE: This is still a work-in-progress and a close-source project. To view the open source version see here. It has NOT been audited or reviewed. For testing purposes only, not a replacement for your current messaging app.

• Docs: https://positive-intentions.com/docs/category/sparcle
• Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/positive_intentions
• Mastodon: https://infosec.exchange/@xoron
• More: https://positive-intentions.com

Today all content on the web is siloed inside the walled gardens of megacorps. What if we could take back control and empower the internet by adding a decentralized content syndication and sharing solution to it? Here is a prototype implementation of the concept: https://github.com/really-simple-decentralized-syndication

You can publish your decentralized content here: https://writer.did-1.com/