Will Mastodon change with the appearance of distributed SNS 'Threads' against Twitter? explained by Mastodon's CEO

' Threads ', a short-text posting platform that competes with Twitter and is developed by Instagram, is a distributed SNS that is operated on multiple servers using a standard protocol called ActivityPub . Eugen Lotschko , the developer of the distributed SNS `` Mastodon '', which also uses ActivityPub, announced a response to concerns about Mastodon's way of life following the launch of Instagram's Threads.

What to know about Threads - Mastodon Blog
https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2023/07/what-to-know-about-threads/

``Thereads is a separate app from Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram,'' said Rochico, ``what we know.'' This means that Threads' user base is separated from existing platforms. , Instagram users can use their Instagram account to sign in. It is not available in the EU and does not support boot authentication.'

``Mastodon never distributes personal data, such as emails or IP addresses, outside of the server where your account is hosted. Mastodon's software makes the reasonable assumption that third-party servers are untrusted. It is built based on it, ”he said, and it is not possible for servers that are not registered and logged in to acquire or track personal information.

He also states that Mastodon does not include the ability to display advertisements, and that advertisements will not be posted on the timeline like Twitter. Ads will appear on your timeline, and if someone you follow has posted an ad, you can unfollow that person if you don't want to see it.

Mastodon and Threads use the same standard protocol called ActivityPub. Therefore, there is a concern that Threads will be able to cooperate with distributed SNS such as Mastodon, and small servers will be expelled. Regarding this, Rochico said, ``There is a server with millions of users registered, and even if you register only one of them, you will only receive updates for that one.This will allow the entire network It makes it easier to manage traffic and storage in , so small servers aren't affected.' In addition, we clearly deny the concern that 'personal information will be acquired if you follow Threads users from the Mastodon account.'

From a technical point of view, Rochko expects that eventually Mastodon and Threads will be interoperable, allowing users to follow each other and exchange messages. However, whether or not to allow communication with Threads is determined by each Mastodon server operator, so communication with Threads may not be possible depending on the server.

Additionally, even if you do follow Threads users, the only rules that apply are those of the Mastodon server where your account is registered, so Threads' moderation policies apply to your Mastodon account. says it will not.

And Rochiko said, ``Even if Thread throws away ActivityPub, the destination we are in is exactly where we are now.ActivityPub enjoys Mastodon's support and brand recognition,'' even if Threads fails Even if it does, Mastodon's way of doing things will not change.

“We have long been an advocate for interoperability between platforms,” Rochko said. The adoption of ActivityPub by a large platform not only validates the transition to a decentralized social network, but also allows people trapped in a platform to become a better platform. It also points the way for us to switch, and such platforms will need to minimize exploitation in order to better serve them. It's a clear win and one that we hope will be one of the many victories to come in the future.'