A new initiative, dubbed "Free Our Feeds," has been launched by a group of international tech entrepreneurs and advocates to protect social media from the control and influence of billionaires. The campaign aims to create an open social media ecosystem that cannot be controlled by a single person or company, including Bluesky itself.

The Free Our Feeds initiative comes at a critical time, as Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has announced that it is dropping fact-checking and loosening its content moderation rules. This move has raised concerns about the concentration of power in the hands of a few individuals, making it difficult for users to have a say in the direction of social media platforms.

The campaign's goal is to establish a public-interest foundation that would fund the creation of new interoperable social networks that can run on the AT Protocol, an open-source technology developed by Bluesky. This foundation would also build independent infrastructure to support these new platforms, ensuring that they remain free from the influence of billionaires, even if Bluesky were to fall under their control.

The Free Our Feeds campaign has garnered support from several notable names, including actor Mark Ruffalo, director Alex Winter, writer Cory Doctorow, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and Mozilla Foundation president Mark Surman, among others. Robin Berjon, an independent technologist and one of the project's nine "custodians," explained that the initiative is the result of conversations among the founding members about exploring ways to push for change in the way social media and digital infrastructure work.

Berjon emphasized the importance of ensuring that digital infrastructure, which is a public good, is governed in the public interest. He likened the current state of social media to a road network owned by one or two billionaires, where they can tax, decide who's allowed to go where, and exert significant control. The Free Our Feeds campaign aims to prevent this concentration of power in the digital realm.

Although the team behind Free Our Feeds shares the same values as Bluesky, they believe that the company is susceptible to venture capital pressure, and that users deserve alternative options backed by independent infrastructure. The team has been in contact with Bluesky, which is supportive of their mission to make the AT protocol "billionaire-proof."

Free Our Feeds aims to raise $30 million over three years, with an immediate goal of $4 million to hire a small team and build independent infrastructure. Berjon explained that the goal is to operate infrastructure that ensures the AT protocol remains open, even if Bluesky were to fall under the control of a billionaire.

The AT Protocol has the potential to be used to build a wide range of social apps, including Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok analogs, as well as new and innovative applications that haven't been invented yet. Berjon emphasized that the goal is not just to copy existing platforms but to invent new things that can leverage the interoperable nature of the AT protocol.

Free Our Feeds intends to have the independent foundation established and running by the end of the year. Berjon assured that if the non-profit doesn't raise enough funds, it will return the money. The campaign's success would mark a significant shift in the way social media is governed, ensuring that users have a greater say in the direction of these platforms.

As the tech industry continues to grapple with the implications of billionaire control over social media, the Free Our Feeds campaign offers a promising solution. By creating an open social media ecosystem that is resistant to the influence of billionaires, the initiative has the potential to democratize social media and give users a greater voice in shaping the digital landscape.