Running dark mode through its paces. Or, as one member of the Gander team described it: “The cozy kind of dark mode.” Right in time for fall.

Groups are coming to Gander. (Once we are done testing them). Open and invite-only communities + cozier spaces for your closest people. They'll even be able to share into the main Gander feed. We’re following the ATProto Spaces alpha design, interop groups are the goal.

You've heard of surveillance advertising... but have you tried surveillance age verification?

How Google, Meta are implementing its ‘age assurance’ tech in Canada - National | Globalnews.ca

The federal government has introduced digital safety legislation that would introduce a ban on social media for kids under 16.

globalnews.ca

Chef's kiss (as usual).

Jason G. Butterfield@jasonbu.online · last wk.

@gandersocial.ca and @eurosky.social getting closer isn’t interesting because ATProto suddenly discovered interoperability. It didn’t. What’s interesting is two distinct communities deciding how they want to use it while keeping their own infrastructure, moderation and identity.

Well worth a minute of your time to watch this. This is pretty much why there’s a Gander. A quick note on "sovereignty" in the context of this speech: We want to be governed by Canadian law. We don’t want the power of government. Nobody elected us.

Hi everyone -- we’re experiencing an outage on Gander right now. We're on it and will let you know as soon as we're back.

I’ve been spending a little more time on @gandersocial.ca . The feed feels different. People tell stories. Founders answer questions. Bugs get called bugs. Chapman’s posts about ice cream. I wrote about why that matters to me, and why digital sovereignty is more than where we park the servers.

A Canadian Social Network Is Not the Point

Taking a break from algorithmic sludge, and finding a small Canadian corner of the internet that still feels human (actual humans).

jasonbu.online

Episode 11 of 49 Clicks featuring special guest Ben Waldman, co-founder and CEO of @gandersocial.ca , is now live! 🍁 youtu.be/8V6oaMo3lEQ?...

49 Clicks Podcast Episode 11: Special Guest Ben Waldman - Gander

YouTube video by Bailey Colors

youtu.be

We wrote this op-ed back when the whole Lake Ontario thing was popping off, which is like a million years ago on the gish gallop timeline. Anyway, @vassb.bsky.social beat us to it with a brilliant piece in the Globe. And since sunk cost fallacies are a thing: gandersocial.ca/putting-cana...

'Like all social media, these services will succeed only if there is sufficient uptake. If our institutions threw their weight around, it could hasten an exodus from platforms owned by Trump’s loyal servants and push Canadians toward more democratic online spaces.' Preach, Justin.

Justin Ling@justinling.ca · 4w ago

Quitting Twitter and Facebook has to become an imparative for Canada. (and, obviously, everyone else.) www.thestar.com/opinion/star... Gift link: www.thestar.com/opinion/star...

Of course we’re proud to help Tod get his Moose Farts. And we’re overjoyed to help our namesake and commemorate an extraordinary four days of human kindness.

Tod Maffin 🇨🇦@todmaffin.com · last mo.

The road trip I’ve been keeping a secret from you — until now

Thanks for having us, Michael. Appreciate you reading the privacy policy too. We got into the fine details and all the nuance that goes into infrastructure, moderation, verification, privacy, and everything else that comes with the territory.

Michael Geist@mgeist.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Everyone talks about digital sovereignty but what does it actually take to build a sovereign social network? @gandersocial.ca is trying to do it with Canadian identity systems and data controls. CEO @benjaminwaldman.bsky.social joins the week's Law Bytes podcast. www.michaelgeist.ca/2026/08/the-...

Not really into waiting until the harm is already done. So then the question is: how do we keep kids safe online without just straight-up excluding them? www.wsj.com/tech/meta-or...

Meta Ordered to Pay $942 Million to Address Harm to Kids From Social Media

A New Mexico judge ordered the social-media giant to create a new $567 million fund in addition to paying $375 million in previously determined civil penalties.

wsj.com

While we’ve been building Gander, people have asked us to make browsers, music players, phones, payment systems, app stores… basically 2/3rds of the internet. We appreciate the confidence. Truly. But we’ve got our hands full. The Canadian Shield Institute mapped out a day without American tech.

A Day in the Life Without American Tech | Canadian Shield Institute

What would happen if overnight we suddenly lost all access to American tech? Nobody is saying that we’d ever wake up one morning and find all...

canadianshieldinstitute.ca

We published our very first Benefit Report. It’s a look at what we’ve built, the impact we’re starting to see, and what we’re still figuring out. Plenty of that last part. Have a read, and let us know if you have questions!

Oh yeah. We just published our first Benefit Report.

Grab the Gander Social Benefit Report 2025-2026

gandersocial.ca

Thinking a lot about what "local" means online. So much organizing (especially in smaller communities and neighbourhoods) happens on platforms that weren’t built with Canadian communities, privacy, or laws in mind. What does "local" online look like to you... Belonging? Proximity? Geography?

Tiny. Nocturnal. Fond of peanut butter. One of the best PSAs of all time. And a very good reminder... especially these days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9hJ...

House Hippo

YouTube video by ccacanada

youtube.com

We’d ask you to sign up for Gander. But honestly, we’d rather you didn’t. It’s Canada Day. Put away your phone. Talk to your friends. Get some fresh air. Touch grass if you can. It's what we'll be doing. Sign up for Gander tomorrow. It’ll still be here when you get back.

On voit plein de nouveaux visages par ici. Bienvenue 👋 Techniquement, on « lance » demain. Mais vous pouvez très bien passer un peu d’avance, jeter un coup d’œil, goûter aux grignotines et vous trouver une bonne place où vous installer. Trouvez-nous dans l’App Store ou sur Google Play.

Seeing a bunch of fresh faces. Pleasure to meet you👋 Technically, we "launch" tomorrow. But you're more than welcome to come on by a bit early and check things out ahead of time, sample the snacks, and find a good spot to chill. Find us on the App Store or Google Play.

Got some coverage in the Globe today ahead of our very official launch on Canada Day. It’s a solid primer on what we’re up to: a Canadian social platform that can make you smile, where your data stays here, and where the community sets the tone. Heads up: paywall.

Canadian social-media platform Gander officially launches this week, promising data sovereignty

Born out of the country’s ‘elbows up’ movement, the app aims to evoke the old days of social media

theglobeandmail.com

Moderation is one of those things people don’t really notice when it’s working. Some do. Usually when we remove a slur. That or politely ask them to leave when it's become a pattern of behaviour. Read about our approach to moderation: context, nuance, exemptions: gandersocial.ca/blog/peace-o...

We took some time to mull over the Safe Social Media Act aka C-34. We’ve read the bill and policy materials, sat in on a technical briefing, read analysis, and talked to people smarter than us (as you do). We have a few (early) thoughts. Namely: C-34 is a major improvement over C-63.

Someone really should do something about this. www.ctvnews.ca/sports/artic...

Canada’s soccer players call for action from companies, government over online abuse

Players on the Canadian men’s national soccer team are calling on social media companies and the federal government to do more to hold users accountable for racist abuse, death threats and hateful mes...

ctvnews.ca

A serious one... because it's Monday. Recent reporting has found foreign accounts pushing Alberta separatism in Canada. People pretending to be local, stealing content, scamming Canadians, and warping political dialogue. That should bother everyone. It for sure bothers us. 👇

Another section from our submission on the future of online safety legislation in Canada. What's the minimum amount of information a platform actually needs to know in order to operate safely? 1/8

Continuing our discussion on online safety legislation in Canada... another one we've wrestled with: How do you reduce bots, fraud, and impersonation without turning platforms into giant collectors of sensitive identity data?

Créer un meilleur réseau social, c’est aussi le rendre plus accessible. Nous travaillons avec des membres de notre communauté qui utilisent des technologies d’assistance afin de rendre Gander plus accessible. Envie d’aider? gandersocial.ca/acce... #SemaineNationaleDeLaccessibilité

Building better social media also means making it more accessible. We’re working with people in our community who use assistive technologies to help improve the Gander experience and make it more usable for all. Interested in participating? gandersocial.ca/blog... #NationalAccessibilityWeek