PSA: please do not touch W Social. It's closed source, for-profit, and has already had numerous critical security vulnerabilities that sometimes took >1 week to patch. More context:

The Untold Story About W Social: Unconventional Beginnings, Strategic Pitches and Conflicting Signals

A deep dive into the origin story of W Social, an analysis of the strategic arguments they have been using to appeal to government officials, media companies and advertisers... and the discussion of c...

blog.elenarossini.com

@telemetrydeck.com

Jacob Ringler@vancityjake.com · last wk.

LeafPlaza 1.6 is with Apple and Google. No shiny new button this time. We've been tidying the engine room. Privacy-friendly analytics through @telemetrydeck.com, fewer inherited services, and more of the client under LeafPlaza's control. Small release. Stronger plaza. ⚙️

One thing I learned adding privacy friendly analytics to LeafPlaza: Apple and Google can ask about the same app and same data in completely different ways. The code was the easy part. Privacy engineering involves a surprising amount of careful reading. 📋

Welcome @rene.app.leafplaza.eu to LeafPlaza!

¿Por qué estamos llamando sistemas de verificación de edad a lo que en realidad son sistemas de verificación de identidad?

Derrière la vérification d'âge sur les réseaux sociaux, la généralisation du contrôle d'identité en ligne

Le Parlement s'apprête à voter une proposition de loi qui veut interdire d'accès aux réseaux sociaux les jeunes de moins de 15 ans. Sous couvert de protection des mineur·es, ce texte imposerait à toute personne souhaitant accéder à ces plateformes de prouver leur âge. Derrière cette vérification d'â

laquadrature.net

After some troubles on our side, we finally have it here. Hello @telemetrydeck.com !

Small update here. The Ombudsman has replied, but we need to wait for the answer from the DG CNECT.

LeafPlaza • EU-sovereign social platform compatible with the ATP@leafplaza.eu · last mo.

The European Ombudsman has registered our complaint, it might take up to 4 weeks for the next comment. We will keep you posted!

Ready to welcome you, wherever you are 🫡

Jacob Ringler@vancityjake.com · 2w ago

A big milestone for our small European team: @leafplaza.eu is now available worldwide. 🌍 Join our managed service, or use the client with a compatible AT Protocol account or your own PDS. The client is open. Your provider is your choice. www.leafplaza.eu

LeafPlaza 1.5 is live. We heard the feedback. We’ll always encourage people to create an account with @leafplaza.eu, hosted on our EU PDS in Frankfurt, but accounts hosted elsewhere can now use our iOS and Android apps too. No migration. No moving van required. 🚚 The plaza just got bigger.

LANGUAGES. Some of the major languages in the EU are already present. Keep on mind what is not translated is a) content (for now) and b) few items here and there. Just post about something not translated and tag @leafplaza.eu - we will confirm if we can address it and add a possible fix.

LeafPlaza • EU-sovereign social platform compatible with the ATP@leafplaza.eu · 2w ago

@leafplaza.eu opens the mobile client to any user, from any ATP server. Just please note your custom server might or might not be sovereign, that part is up to you.

@leafplaza.eu opens the mobile client to any user, from any ATP server. Just please note your custom server might or might not be sovereign, that part is up to you.

LeafPlaza's mobile app is going open

Any ATProto server, any user. Just remember your data lives in your server, so custom servers may or may not be sovereign.

leafplaza.leaflet.pub

It's so good to see a user celebrating a fix 🎉

Der Motzmichel auf Bluesky in der EU!!! 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇮🇱❤️🕊️☮️🏳️‍🌈🍍🤪🚀🖖🏽✌🏽🖕🏼🤡🙈🙉🙊👉🏽👌🏽🌮🥸🫣💩🌈@maverick1966.app.leafplaza.eu · 3w ago

GIFs are working again … 😄🥳🥂 @leafplaza.eu

@leafplaza.eu had a team building yesterday. That means @vancityjake.com and @pablo.sr met in the city and had lunch. A lot of interesting things brewing. Stay tunned!

Something's Brewing: Animated Coffee Pot

ALT: Something's Brewing: Animated Coffee Pot

static.klipy.com

LeafPlaza 1.4 is rolling out on iOS and Android. GIFs are behaving again. We had a serious talk. A few behind-the-scenes improvements too. Update and let @leafplaza.eu know if anything looks odd.

This is so silly that you got no choice but to love it @twinkl.social

Michel Bestaat@michelbestaat.thereforeiam.eu · 3w ago

Best timeline rendering ever! twinkl.social 🤣🤣🤣

Europe can use privacy as a competitive advantage in the global tech market.

Privacy as EU Tech advantage

Online crime loves legal massive data collection, grey systems, and jurisdictional gaps. Privacy-first design can actually reduce crime exposure and build trust in digital services. It is also central to the EU's tech autonomy: build systems aligning with European rights and risk models. Do not rely on foreign platforms or copy outside practices that might go against the EU values and needs.

leafplaza.leaflet.pub

A couple of days ago we got into the @euroalternative.eu listing, we are half to be among other sovereign solutions.

EuroAlternative@euroalternative.eu · last mo.

🚀 Just published: LeafPlaza – EU-sovereign social network with global reach European social network compatible with Bluesky, ensuring GDPR compliance, authentic interactions, and data sovereignty while connecting you globally. euroalternative.eu/leafplaza

The European Ombudsman has registered our complaint, it might take up to 4 weeks for the next comment. We will keep you posted!

Partial victory with a catch: EU Parliament temporarily defies chat control #EuropeanUnion https://www.heise.de/en/news/Partial-victory-with-a-catch-EU-Parliament-temporarily-defies-chat-control-11349760.html?wt_mc=sm.red.ho.mastodon.mastodon.md_beitraege.md_beitraege&utm_source=mastodon

Partial victory with a catch: EU Parliament temporarily defies chat control

EU bodies have once again postponed mass surveillance of messengers. The Council and EPP are trying to surprise MEPs with a legal trick.

heise.de

leafplaza.leaflet.pub/3mpj6isbbvc2m

W Social gate: The Ombudsman has our complaint against the EU Commission

The EU Commission did not address our concerns, as expected, so it is time to engage with the Ombudsman and get a notch up on the noise we are making.

leafplaza.leaflet.pub

Esto es LeafPlaza, pero en español. We will be adding languages overtime. Quality before quantity. www.leafplaza.eu/es/

Unfortunately, business as usual in mobile development. @vancityjake.com and @pablo.sr can confirm.

RP@rpdeshaies.farirpgs.com · last mo.

me: I'll make a desktop app it will be cheaper than hosting servers apple: pay 120/year to verify your app with a certificate damn it lol

SCOOP: #WSocial: a Broken Ghost Town? W Social has been experiencing major technical issues for over a week: it is effectively a ghost town, filled with thousands of new accounts that cannot use the platform. I discuss the problem and a possible solution here: blog.elenarossini.com/w-social-a-b...

W Social: a Broken Ghost Town?

W Social has been experiencing major technical problems for over a week: it is effectively a ghost town, filled with thousands of new accounts that cannot use the platform.

blog.elenarossini.com

Exactly why we disagree with the @ec.europa.eu and why we will be escalating to the EU ombudsman.

Nicolò Ribaudo@nicr.dev · last mo.

Is their answer "The Code of Good Administrative Behaviour does not apply to this case because it only applies to interactions between the Commission staff and citizens", which is exactly what a social media post from Commission staff is?

@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@leafplaza.eu · last mo.

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

LATEST: on #WSocial's website, comment counts for posts by prominent users are incorrectly displayed, showing artificially elevated numbers. @opfuchs.gay came up with an interesting theory for it. "W Social, Fictional Metrics and the Beauty of Open Data": blog.elenarossini.com/w-social-fic...

W Social, Fictional Metrics and the Beauty of Open Data

W Social's tagline is "Trust Your Feed" but the company's landing page displays inflated engagement metrics - a misrepresentation that contradicts its own promise.

blog.elenarossini.com

Top accounts that have moved to (or signed up on) @wsocial.eu PDS:

RE: https://legal.social/@malteengeler/116794978290405811 TIL One of the advisory board of Wsocial is a co-founder of Worldcoin. Remember, the cryptocurrency that wanted to scan everyone’s eyeballs?