Meet Diaspora*, a distributed social network
By Jean Hertel, 22.10.16
Hello readers,
Today I will introduce an alternative to the best known social networks: Diaspora*
#What is it?
For those who do not know, Diaspora* is a distributed social network, which tries to reverse the scenario of a single centralized and censored network, as in the case of Twitter and Facebook.
#What are its advantages?
The network has several advantages over other networks, and the first one I can cite is that it is distributed. When I say distributed, it is not in the sense of each person having to maintain their own server, but rather that there are several public servers maintained by the community and that for this reason, some benefits are perceived:
Fully distributed, if a server stops, the network stays in the air. This is a huge advantage for activists, because if the network is blocked in your country, you can register and continue using it through another server. An important note about this point: There have been many blockades to WhatsApp recently in Brazil, because the service is centralized and easy to block. With a distributed network like Diaspora* this becomes much more complex.
As there is no central power in the network, there is no censorship over content, so it is hardly possible for a court order to overturn a page from the air. The few cases that I have noticed of censorship were related to hate messages from ISIS, and in these cases, it was necessary that each administrator of your server removes the message so that it is actually extinguished from the network.
Lower espionage level. This item is complex because it will depend a lot on who is the administrator of your server and where it is located. If you are too paranoid, you can host your own server.
Code totally free. The server software is free and licensed on GNU AGPL v3. Of course there is no guarantee that your server is even running the repository code, but it is possible to audit and verify the features that exist. To whoever interested the repository in github: https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora
#Where do I see the available servers?
You can see the list of servers with the most uptime at: https://podupti.me/
#Which server should I choose?
Choosing a server is a very personal thing, so I can not state which one is best for your needs. My tip is to get some server nearby and that is outside your country, to avoid problems of censorship / blockade like in Brazil. Avoid servers in the US, because the government there has several absurd espionage policies. I am currently registered with a German server that I consider secure. Follow link: https://nerdpol.ch
To find me on the net, just look for jeanhertel@nerdpol.ch
#More information
Official project website: https://diasporafoundation.org/
Post explaining the difficulty of removing content from the network: https://blog.diasporafoundation.org/4-islamic-state-fighters-on-diaspora
