Hello, I’m Connor Fabiano and I’m an American computer programmer, private citizen, and free speech advocate.
Free speech is very rare on the internet. Gab is one of the only places I have found that so far qualifies as a true free speech network. This website is not an attempt to compete with Gab, as I see Gab as a larger and more heavy type of social network (like Facebook) – it already has news and marketplace integrations and a lot of features. This social network is to be the Twitter version of Gab, focusing on shorter posts while ensuring free speech is respected.
What will be moderated?
My only goal is to moderate spam and malicious links. Here are two examples in which I feel it is necessary to remove posts:
1) The same post is posted multiple times in the same context without any modification. This qualifies as traditional spam and it has a negative impact on the users because it clogs up their feed. If you are copying and pasting a message to different users, such as promoting a service you have or a personal opinion, this does NOT quality, as that meets the definition of a different context. This is simply to prevent people from posting for example a hundred identical public messages a second.
2) A link is posted which is malicious. For example, someone puts up a fake website that resembles a major service in order to trick people into clicking the link and having their personal information compromised. This could result in significant financial loss to any users who are tricked. If I see this, I will remove these posts because it presents a threat to our users. As long as you are posting a link that isn’t intended to steal user information, it will not be removed.
I, Connor Fabiano, am the only person with the ability to take administrative action on this website. I assume full responsibility for this, and you will know exactly who to blame and who to contact about this if I were to do something to disable your account. I will always be available on my Discord server. My goal is to never remove something because it hurts someone’s feelings. And I am not for sale by special interest groups, religious groups, or large corporations.
Every single moderation action taken will be publicly posted and time stamped.
Please see the current Terms of Service regarding media uploads. As of January 3, 2025, it reads:
Please do not upload:
– Pornography
– Copyrighted material (fair use is fine)
– Malicious files which could steal user information or infect their computer
Monetization
Every user of this platform will be allowed to create their own subscription service. They will able to decide whether they wish to receive payments via PayPal or in Crypto, and they will be able to decide how much they will charge. This will be a traditional “paywall” requiring an active subscription to the creator in order to view the posts the creator has set to “subscribers only”. Pay to read/view posts on a single use basis may also be added as a feature if the users are interested.
Open Source Goal
The ultimate goal is to have a social network that is connected to a public Github Repo allowing anyone at any time to review the current code in order to verify that there are no algorithms or functions designed to suppress certain posts based on its content. While the average user is not a programmer, it still gives them the opportunity to consult other independent programmers who have no relationship with me and have verified the code themselves. With websites like X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube this isn’t possible.
Why temporarily BuddyPress?
BuddyPress is being used right now for the first version, primarily because of its attractive UI. My current social networks are functional but do not have an attractive UI yet, and are also focused on Web3 integration only. The final version will be programmed by myself and made publicly available on GitHub and it will allow for users to register with email OR with their web3 wallet (ensuring greater confidentiality).
Web3 Integration
Registration
In upcoming versions, users will be able to register with a valid EVM or Solana address ensuring a greater level of anonymity. For example, you could simply create a separate address and use this only for your account on this website. This ensures nearly complete anonymity as your name, email, phone, address, or other personal information is never attached to your account. This also allows for microtransactions and subscription services that are decentralized. No matter what I do on my end, I can never stop you from receiving payments at your address (and I wouldn’t try to, but this is an example, currently YouTube, X, TikTok and other monetized platforms can simply refuse to pay you for basically any reason).
Data Rollups
All user posts will be rolled up to a to be decided blockchain on various time based intervals. What does this mean? It means every, let’s say just for an example, 5 minutes, all new posts that have been made on the platform will be combined into a “list” of messages and sent to the blockchain. This will make the data decentralized and so even if my servers go down or are completely destroyed, every message sent on the social network will have been stored securely on the blockchain with computers run by regular people all around the world, making them essentially impossible to ever be removed by anyone.
Decentralized File Storage
Decentralized file storage works like a blockchain, but for files. Instead of there being a central point of control, they are instead distributed worldwide across the participating nodes in the network. Most image uploads and other uploads can be hosted on regular servers without an issue, and they will be. This makes the most sense as it is the fastest option for the user. However, there are certain types of media which are often highly censored, yet have historical or cultural value, and do not violate United States law. In these circumstances a fallback upload to the decentralized network will be an option to ensure that the media survives any takedown attempts.
Technical Questions
Where are the servers located?
Iceland, I use the same service as Gab (Epik.com).
Who is doing the programming?
I am, however, this is just a boilerplate essentially. My custom network is still only being tested locally.
Who is funding the cost of the website?
I am 100%. I have no investors, and no one has a financial interest in me. I am also not looking for investors at this time.
Is there a mobile app?
No, and there won’t be unfortunately as Google and Apple do not allow free speech apps on their platform. I will however be working on a highly optimized fully mobile responsive web version.
Who is the site registered under?
Connor Fabiano
How can I help out?
If you believe in the mission of short form free speech, please consider using this platform. It is 100% free and always will be. If you are a programmer and wish to help, please reach out to me here or on Discord. Also, please tell your friends.
If you have any questions, please: