Project Liberty is an open-source project with a goal of creating a new “civic architecture for the digital world that returns the ownership and control of personal data to individuals, embeds ethical values into technology, and expands economic opportunities for web users and developers alike.”
In other words, it aims to give users control over their data. The project maintainers envision a future in which all people benefit from their participation and contribution to the data economy, rather than just a few people benefiting.
According to the project’s website, in our current system, private companies control our social networks and data and also have control over innovation, and that control begins with the ownership of the social graph, which is the digital representation of online relationships.
The underlying infrastructure for Project Liberty is an open-source protocol called Decentralized Social Networking Protocol (DSNP). DSNP transforms the social graph from an asset controlled by private companies to something that is governed by the community.
“We have in front of us the opportunity to forge a new path and reorient the web around people, not platforms,” said Paula Recard, president of Unfinished Media & Network. “Project Liberty gives us modern tools to build, and rebuild, with healthier, higher standards. It has become clear that not only restoring but strengthening our social fabric in this way is an essential and urgent undertaking – and a journey that is more successful the more voices we have at the decision-making table.”
