Jack Dorsey’s decentralized Twitter rival enters App Store

cointelegraph.com:

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of the online microblogging service Twitter, is progressing with Bluesky, a decentralized Twitter alternative, as its mobile application is now being tested in private beta.

Bluesky has hit the App Store as an invite-only app, allowing certain persons to try out the new social experience by creating an account via an invite code.

According to a report by TechCrunch, the Bluesky iOS app debuted on Feb. 17 and has amassed about 2,000 installs as of Feb. 28. The app is reportedly not yet available for Android testers on Google Play.

As one can see on Bluesky’s App Store preview, the rival app looks very much like Twitter, with the interface having a lot of Twitter-like features, including the way handles, followers as well as posts and replies are represented. The Bluesky app’s feed also reflects likes, comments and reposts in a similar manner to Twitter.

According to TechCrunch, the app allows users to create a post of up to 265 characters, or just a few less than Twitter’s 280 characters. Instead of Twitter’s “What’s happening?,” Bluesky asks “What’s up?” Bluesky users can share, mute and block accounts, while more advanced tools, like adding them to lists, are not yet available.

Despite resembling Twitter so much, Bluesky is apparently set to have some technical features designed to make it very different from Elon Musk’s social media giant. The platform aims to provide a decentralized social network protocol, which is expected to make its user data free from influence by any government or corporation.

Bluesky is built on top of the AT protocol, a new federated social network that integrates ideas from the latest decentralized technologies. Originally known as Authenticated Transfer Protocol, or ADX,