Wrote a thing about why it’s not great EU institutions are moving onto @wsocial.eu — it’s not so much about being for-profit as it is about misunderstanding the at protocol! euobserver.com/223831/eu-praises-open-source…
Jun 25, 2026 at 8:49 AM
EU praises open source for tech sovereignty — then backs W, a private for-profit microblogging platform
To fundamentally understand why it's strange the EU Commission is throwing its weight behind this new for-profit social platform, you need to understand what lies beneath.
EU praises open source for tech sovereignty — then backs W, a private for-profit microblogging platform
To fundamentally understand why it's strange the EU Commission is throwing its weight behind this new for-profit social platform, you need to understand what lies beneath.
Elena Rossini 🌈 (@_elena@mastodon.social)
#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
The EU Inc. Proposal: how far does it really go?
A post by Gillis Waelkens and Stéphanie De Smet (Clifford Chance)
The European Commission falls for openness theater by working with W Social
The European Commission has moved its profiles to W Social. That's a terrible decision.
W Social, public institutions and the theater of European digital sovereignty | Hacker News
And weirdly, there was never a peep about this in the press - while the W Social launch was on national news and a bunch of high-profile EU politicians immediately joined. What's going on here?
Fact check: Is the EU launching a social media platform called 'W'?
Viral posts claiming the EU is launching its own social media platform to counter X, in the wake of various scandals, are misleading.
@leafplaza.eu got an answer. The @ec.europa.eu says our claim about the promotion for @wsocial.eu by several EU leaders is out of scope and asks us to redirect it to the DG CNECT. We will do that, but also we disagree and are escalatinh this matter to the EU Ombudsman.
LeafPlaza • EU-sovereign social platform compatible with the ATP
This is our blog article explaining why @leafplaza.eu filed a complaint against the @ec.europa.eu after their public endorsement of @wsocial.eu and missing transparency in the process. We hope @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu takes this matter seriously. leafplaza.leaflet.pub/3moxlxlfl2s2a
@leafplaza.eu got an answer. The @ec.europa.eu says our claim about the promotion for @wsocial.eu by several EU leaders is out of scope and asks us to redirect it to the DG CNECT. We will do that, but also we disagree and are escalatinh this matter to the EU Ombudsman.
LeafPlaza • EU-sovereign social platform compatible with the ATP
This is our blog article explaining why @leafplaza.eu filed a complaint against the @ec.europa.eu after their public endorsement of @wsocial.eu and missing transparency in the process. We hope @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu takes this matter seriously. leafplaza.leaflet.pub/3moxlxlfl2s2a
This is our blog article explaining why @leafplaza.eu filed a complaint against the @ec.europa.eu after their public endorsement of @wsocial.eu and missing transparency in the process. We hope @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu takes this matter seriously. leafplaza.leaflet.pub/3moxlxlfl2s2a
LeafPlaza filed a complaint against the European Commission. Here is why.
leafplaza.leaflet.pubLeafPlaza • EU-sovereign social platform compatible with the ATP
@leafplaza.eu just presented an official complain. Also, setup a whole chain of official follow ups on this complain. We know our rights, no other European ATP project has been giving the advantage W Social received and that goes against Commission Decision (EU) 2024/3083 - Art. 4.
@leafplaza.eu just presented an official complain. Also, setup a whole chain of official follow ups on this complain. We know our rights, no other European ATP project has been giving the advantage W Social received and that goes against Commission Decision (EU) 2024/3083 - Art. 4.
Ursula von der Leyen
Warm Welcome to all followers on W 👌 User friendly 🔓 Open source AT Protocol 🔒 Privacy preserving 🧑🤝🧑 Humans only / No bots And 🇪🇺 European!
A brief 🧵 for all outside the #atproto bubble on why, from a digital industrial policy perspective, this step is deeply bewildering. There's @eurosky.social – open source, non-profit, fully aligned with the EU's open source strategy. It provides all that W has, & more. And yet, the Commission...
European Commission
We have now joined W, a new European social media network. We’re present on 15+ platforms, and are especially happy to join one based in Europe and with the ambition to foster open and safer online conversations. Keep the conversation going - whether from W, Bluesky or other compatible apps.
I get the impression that the people at @wsocial.eu haven’t grasped the principle of a free and open social network protocol. They look a bit like venture capitalists turning up at Wikipedia and wondering how they can make a fortune there. Poke @anna.wsocial.eu
I get the impression that the people at @wsocial.eu haven’t grasped the principle of a free and open social network protocol. They look a bit like venture capitalists turning up at Wikipedia and wondering how they can make a fortune there. Poke @anna.wsocial.eu
Interesting point: "The only way to make sense of the European Commission's embrace of WSocial is that maybe it sees it as a trial run for MANDATORY age verification for social media across the European Union." @elenarossini.com
![[1 media attachment] Dear Fedi friends,
It may be time for a re-introduction: I'm Elena, an Italian creative (writer, photographer, filmmaker) living in Paris, France.
You may have initially gotten ...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:v4zpi74gy7enfiwke7hmoxv5/bafkreihfn2sd2mtodvb6smd4ebgggkow2m5ryobxk6gek3uqny7ceul2f4)
Elena Rossini on GoToSocial ⁂ (@elena@aseachange.com)
aseachange.com"I think thinking about it in terms of new institutions is really a useful way to think about it. It's funny for me as a VC, because I think a lot of this stuff will and even goes for us to say should be illegible to venture capital in a lot of ways." - @eclecticcapital.bsky.social
The Economics of Sovereign Media: A Roadmap for AT Protocol | ATmosphereConf VODs
atmosphereconf-vods.wisp.place
