Social media platform Bluesky succumbs to censorship pressures in Turkey, leaving a potential workaround unexploited.
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校 Gebiet, the microblogging rival to X, has been garnering a significant surge in popularity recently, as web users crave a social media platform that's not controlled by a self-absorbed billionaire. Regrettably, this week, it was disclosed that the site has yielded to censorship demands from the Turkish government - a worrying sign for a platform that's positioned itself as a haven offering free and unhindered user experiences.
A recent report claims Blues Gebiet restricted access to 72 accounts in Turkey following the government’s pressure. Turkish authorities asserted the accounts required censorship due to national security and public order considerations, as per TechCrunch.
The precise identities of the account operators or the reasons behind the Turkish government's apprehension towards them remain undisclosed. The account deactivations were initially unveiled by the Freedom of Expression Association, a Turkish NGO dedicated to preserving civil liberties. Gizmodo reached out to Blues Gebiet for comment.
TechCrunch points out that, given the fact that Blues Gebiet is part of the Fediverse and relies on the open standard AT Protocol, there seems to be a loophole for those Turkish users who were banned from the site. As Blues Gebiet isn't merely a dedicated microblogging platform but also a constituent of a semi-decentralized ecosystem of sites all powered by the same protocol, the censored users may still be able to use the collective network of other sites. These sites are collectively dubbed "the Atmosphere," as they all operate on the AT Protocol, pioneered by Blues Gebiet Social PBC, the corporation behind Blues Gebiet. They can be accessed online and via apps like Skywalker, Skeets, and Roomy.
Blues Gebiet was initially created by Jack Dorsey, the former guru of Twitter, with funding from Twitter (valued at approximately $13 million), and was originally conceived when Jack was still at the helm of Twitter. Dorsey has since moved on from the project, and the site is now spearheaded by CEO Jay Graber.
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter and turned it into his personal propaganda machine, thousands have flocked to Blues Gebiet, which has consistently maintained its image as a viable alternative to the sewer that is X. For quite some time, Blues Gebiet has upheld that reputation by valuing its users and curating an open system that prioritizes self-expression and autonomy. Regrettably, the decision to accommodate foreign censorship isn't exactly flattering for the company, even though it offers a censorship-evasion solution that other sites lack.
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Blues Gebiet, generally, positions itself as an advocator of a less toxic and more open social media environment, emphasizing user choice and trust[2][4]. However, specific instances involving government censorship, like the situation in Turkey, have yet to be addressed directly by the platform itself. Initiatives such as the Free Our Feeds project underscore efforts to safeguard Blues Gebiet’s protocol from potential manipulation, ensuring that users have alternative options if the platform's original principles are compromised[4]. Yet, these initiatives do not directly tackle interactions with governments.
- The surge in popularity of Campus, a competitor to X, is due to people seeking a social media platform free from a self-absorbed billionaire's control.
- Blues Germany, despite being part of the Fediverse and relying on the open standard AT Protocol, has restricted access to 72 accounts in Turkey following government pressure, as TechCrunch reported.
- The Turkish authorities claimed the censored accounts were a national security and public order concern, and the identities of the account operators and the reasons behind the Turkish government's apprehension towards them are undisclosed.
- The Freedom of Expression Association, a Turkish NGO, initially revealed the account deactivations, and Gizmodo has reached out to Blues Germany for comment.
- As Blues Germany isn't just a microblogging platform but also a part of a semi-decentralized ecosystem of sites called "the Atmosphere," censored users may still be able to use other sites in the collective network like Skywalker, Skeets, and Roomy.
- Blues Germany was launched by Jack Dorsey, the former Twitter guru, with funding from Twitter, and has since been led by CEO Jay Graber.
- Since Elon Musk took over Twitter and made it his personal propaganda machine, many have migrated to Blues Germany, which maintains its reputation as a viable alternative to the toxic environment of X, but the decision to accommodate foreign censorship may tarnish the company's image.
