Electronic Frontier Foundation:

The recent chaos at Twitter is a reminder that when you rely on a social media platform, you’re putting your voice, your privacy, and your safety in the hands of the people who run that system. Many people are looking to Mastodon as a backup or replacement for Twitter, and this guide will walk you through making that switch. Note this guide is current as of December 2022, and the software and services discussed are going through rapid changes.

What even is the fediverse? Well, we’ve written a more detailed and technical introduction, but put simply it is a large network of independently operated social media websites speaking to each other in a shared language. That means your fediverse social media account is more like email, where you pick the service you like and can still communicate with people who chose a different service.

EFF is excited and optimistic about the potential of this new way of doing things, but to be clear, the fediverse is still improving and may not be a suitable replacement for your old social media accounts just yet. That said, if you’re worried about relying on the stability of sites like Twitter, now is a good time to “backup” your social media presence in the fediverse. [Continue reading…]