Use Protocols, Not Services

The internet, originally designed for anonymity and privacy, has been undermined by the centralization of communication onto closed platforms. This piece argues that to reclaim these foundational properties, users must pivot from relying on centralized services back to utilizing open protocols.

• Services are Vulnerable: Centralized services present a single point of failure and control. Governments and corporations can easily compel these entities to identify users, censor content, or enforce policies, as seen with age verification mandates.
• Switching Services is Futile: Migrating from one centralized service to another offers no lasting solution, as new services will eventually face the same pressures or be blocked. It merely shifts dependency from one regulable entity to another.
• Protocols Offer Resilience: Unlike services, protocols like IRC, XMPP, ActivityPub, Nostr, or Matrix lack a single entity to compel. A government would face an impossible task trying to pressure thousands of independent operators across multiple jurisdictions. The article uses email (SMTP) as an example, illustrating how its protocol-based nature allows users to switch providers while maintaining connectivity, even if major players become problematic.

Ultimately, the author contends that choosing a service over a protocol means willingly opting into a system where a single company can be forced to identify, restrict, or surrender user data, often to the detriment of user privacy and freedom.