The European Commission has registered a new Citizen Initiative, calling for a European social media platform.
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The European Commission has registered a new Citizen Initiative, calling for a European social media platform.
In detail: The initiative invites the Commission to establish, through a legislative act, “a public social media platform at the European level”. That "would form an alternative to the current platforms and work as a service for the society, be funded by the society and be under its oversight”.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_522Slightly more information about this #citizenInitiative here for a #European #SocialMedia here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000004_en
IF This reaches the required amount of signatures it will have to be examined by the European Commission. What conclusion the commission will come to I cannot predict, but it may consider the option of building on existing infrastructure *cough* #mastodon *cough* …
These processes take quite a long time, but I’ll keep updating here
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@_elena Maybe off topic but I just saw that EuroNews doesn't have a official presence in the Fediverse besides @Flipboard based channels.
@gelbphoenix @_elena @Flipboard If only that was the only thing that was wrong with it...
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Slightly more information about this #citizenInitiative here for a #European #SocialMedia here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000004_en
IF This reaches the required amount of signatures it will have to be examined by the European Commission. What conclusion the commission will come to I cannot predict, but it may consider the option of building on existing infrastructure *cough* #mastodon *cough* …
These processes take quite a long time, but I’ll keep updating here@hpod16 Why must it be *cough* Mastodon?
There is plenty of other stuff around AND the magic word is decentralized ! https://getmona.app/rich_text/966659855104 -
@hpod16 > "Following today's registration, the organisers have six months to open the 12-month period of signature collection. If an ECI receives at least one million statements of support during that time, with minimum numbers reached in at least seven Member States, the Commission is required to react, and decide what, if any, action it will take in response to the initiative, justifying its decision."
Cool, how and where will we gather these signatures? Will happily campaign for #Mastodon
@Gina @hpod16 Actually once you realise the length of time large orgs have been freeloading off unknown managed tools it make you wonder why governments and local aurhorities didn’t invest in regulated platforms sooner bearing in mind that facebook and other app owners were quite open about bringing a platform to replace local government and decision making
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The European Commission has registered a new Citizen Initiative, calling for a European social media platform.
In detail: The initiative invites the Commission to establish, through a legislative act, “a public social media platform at the European level”. That "would form an alternative to the current platforms and work as a service for the society, be funded by the society and be under its oversight”.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_522I wonder who are the proposers for this request.
Asking the govt. to take ownership of a social network, is like screaming to be controlled.
Let's not sustain or share this initiative in any way.
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@hpod16 That's good, than there is hope that they use the money wisely.
The paper is sadly not very specific what they plan to do, so we will see.
@streetcoder
They don’t need to be any more specific really, because this is a citizens request for the EU to come up with a solution. All they have to define is the problem. IF they get enough signatures the EU has to give an answer, so what the solution ends up being is still very unclear. -
I wonder who are the proposers for this request.
Asking the govt. to take ownership of a social network, is like screaming to be controlled.
Let's not sustain or share this initiative in any way.
@77nn you can read who they are on the website of the European citizens initiative.
It seems like there is a large number of people who really call for a government subsidised social media infrastructure, so we shall see how the initiative does once it’s open for signatures. It’s only registered now.. they have a couple of months to open it up to signatures. -
@Gina @hpod16 Actually once you realise the length of time large orgs have been freeloading off unknown managed tools it make you wonder why governments and local aurhorities didn’t invest in regulated platforms sooner bearing in mind that facebook and other app owners were quite open about bringing a platform to replace local government and decision making
@Shephallmassive @Gina
Sorry what are these unknown tools you speak of? -
Slightly more information about this #citizenInitiative here for a #European #SocialMedia here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000004_en
IF This reaches the required amount of signatures it will have to be examined by the European Commission. What conclusion the commission will come to I cannot predict, but it may consider the option of building on existing infrastructure *cough* #mastodon *cough* …
These processes take quite a long time, but I’ll keep updating here@hpod16 how would they handle moderation?
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@hpod16 how would they handle moderation?
@Robo
That’s a good question. Let’s wait for the officers to get more specific with their proposal. For now, the little bit of text and linked is all I’ve seen.. and all they’re asking is for the European commission to establish this, so they might not even have the detail details ironed out. They don’t really have to.. a citizen initiative is at its core just a good tool to show what citizens really care about -
@hpod16 Why must it be *cough* Mastodon?
There is plenty of other stuff around AND the magic word is decentralized ! https://getmona.app/rich_text/966659855104@no_brainer @hpod16 <joke> Mastodon do not exist anyone know this, it's fake news that mastodon exist, even your account on mastodon.social do not exist since we live in a simulation </joke>
No seriously, i would prefer them to actually allow a new one but only if this new one actually support full federation.
So company that are afraid of being impersonated can go on this new one, while remaining fully compatible with decentralised mastodon.
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Slightly more information about this #citizenInitiative here for a #European #SocialMedia here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000004_en
IF This reaches the required amount of signatures it will have to be examined by the European Commission. What conclusion the commission will come to I cannot predict, but it may consider the option of building on existing infrastructure *cough* #mastodon *cough* …
These processes take quite a long time, but I’ll keep updating here@hpod16 collection of signatures starting soon
can't wait! -
The European Commission has registered a new Citizen Initiative, calling for a European social media platform.
In detail: The initiative invites the Commission to establish, through a legislative act, “a public social media platform at the European level”. That "would form an alternative to the current platforms and work as a service for the society, be funded by the society and be under its oversight”.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_522@hpod16 oh the hypocrisy. European union is the slave master. Old world is gone dinosaurs in Belgium still dreaming.
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@Robo
That’s a good question. Let’s wait for the officers to get more specific with their proposal. For now, the little bit of text and linked is all I’ve seen.. and all they’re asking is for the European commission to establish this, so they might not even have the detail details ironed out. They don’t really have to.. a citizen initiative is at its core just a good tool to show what citizens really care about -
@hpod16 > "Following today's registration, the organisers have six months to open the 12-month period of signature collection. If an ECI receives at least one million statements of support during that time, with minimum numbers reached in at least seven Member States, the Commission is required to react, and decide what, if any, action it will take in response to the initiative, justifying its decision."
Cool, how and where will we gather these signatures? Will happily campaign for #Mastodon
@Gina @hpod16 Typically these ECIs each have a central signature collection page eg. https://eci.ec.europa.eu/055/public/#/screen/home (unfortunately after collection closes they just block the entire page, so 043 for example which I think was the Stop Killing Games one, isn't visible under that link; it's kinda dumb). You sign by selecting your country, typing in some details that your country demands, press submit, and done.
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Slightly more information about this #citizenInitiative here for a #European #SocialMedia here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000004_en
IF This reaches the required amount of signatures it will have to be examined by the European Commission. What conclusion the commission will come to I cannot predict, but it may consider the option of building on existing infrastructure *cough* #mastodon *cough* …
These processes take quite a long time, but I’ll keep updating here@hpod16 But this isn't the same as Vestagers Rebuild Initiative?
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Slightly more information about this #citizenInitiative here for a #European #SocialMedia here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000004_en
IF This reaches the required amount of signatures it will have to be examined by the European Commission. What conclusion the commission will come to I cannot predict, but it may consider the option of building on existing infrastructure *cough* #mastodon *cough* …
These processes take quite a long time, but I’ll keep updating here@hpod16 reading through the proposal now, using Mastodon for such a EU Public Social Network would go counter to a significant number of issues the initiative cares about
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@hpod16 reading through the proposal now, using Mastodon for such a EU Public Social Network would go counter to a significant number of issues the initiative cares about
@hpod16 " Similarly, user privacy must be a priority, [...] will prevent the sale or leakage of sensitive user data."
like decentralised protocols by design spread user data around the entire network. same with identity verification, what the proposal also wants. Like identity verification is a dumb goal anyway, but if you do want it decentralised protocols are an anti-goal
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Slightly more information about this #citizenInitiative here for a #European #SocialMedia here: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2026/000004_en
IF This reaches the required amount of signatures it will have to be examined by the European Commission. What conclusion the commission will come to I cannot predict, but it may consider the option of building on existing infrastructure *cough* #mastodon *cough* …
These processes take quite a long time, but I’ll keep updating here@hpod16 gmail email addresses
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The European Commission has registered a new Citizen Initiative, calling for a European social media platform.
In detail: The initiative invites the Commission to establish, through a legislative act, “a public social media platform at the European level”. That "would form an alternative to the current platforms and work as a service for the society, be funded by the society and be under its oversight”.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_522@hpod16 In such a process, please don't reinvent the wheel.
