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The European Commission announced Wednesday that it was joining a new, made-in-Europe alternative social media platform called “W.”
The platform, first announced at the World Economic Forum in January, is built on “verified human users, transparency, privacy and free speech.”
W, based in Sweden, was built by entrepreneurs in media, technology and artificial intelligence, according to the platform’s website. The platform’s beta version launched this week, with users required to apply for vetting by the “W” team before they can post.
Top European officials are using the platform as well, including EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council.
Before getting access, users have to verify themselves either by sharing their real name or anonymously through W Identity, a separate app that scans the user’s passport or national ID to verify them directly on their device.
CEO Anna Zeiter previously told Euronews that it plans to host its data on “European servers owned by European companies,” and limiting its investors to those based on the continent.
At the time, Zeiter said W plans to use Proton, a Swiss encrypted email provider, and UpCloud, a cloud computing platform based in Finland, in accordance with EU privacy laws.
The launch coincides with a broader tech and artificial intelligence (AI) sovereignty movement in Europe to distance companies, governments and individuals away from Big Tech companies based in the United States.
Several countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, have raised concerns that reliance on Big Tech could lead to national security and data concerns.
Other alternative social media sites
W is one of several alternative social media platforms launched recently based in Europe, including Bulle (French for bubble), Eurosky, Monnett and eYou.
Some of these platforms signed a declaration last week committing to build Europe’s “social stack,” which it says will bring a “diverse and resilient infrastructure” to the continent to “move away from large monopolistic platforms with their authoritarian governance.”
However, experts have previously told Euronews Next that it is very difficult for alternative platforms to maintain an audience because it will be hard for them to stay as convenient or engaging as platforms that are trying to maximise time on the site.