Tent

Description

"Tent is a protocol for open, decentralized social networking. Tent users share content with apps and each other. Anyone can run a Tent server, or write an app or alternative server implementation that uses the Tent protocol. Users can take their content and relationships with them when they change or move servers. Tent supports extensible data types so developers can create new kinds of interaction.

Tent is for sharing with others and seeing what others have shared with you. You can ask to follow other users and other users can follow you. Because you control your own Tent server, it is also a good place to store things you do not want to share with others, a sort of personal data vault. It can also be used as a secure site login replacement so you don't need passwords when accessing other sites on the web.

Why is Tent decentralized?

Decentralized services are resilient. If one part breaks or is turned off the other parts continue to operate normally. The Internet is decentralized. That's why the whole Internet doesn't shut down when one site or server is having problems. Important systems should be decentralized. The Internet itself, and the most important services on it, like the World Wide Web and email, are all decentralized systems based on open protocols. So is Tent. Most existing social sites could be reimplemented using Tent.

Decentralized services put users in control. Companies and products do not last forever. If a company changes its terms, shuts down, is acquired, discontinues a product, no problem – users can take their data and services with them and set up somewhere else – on their own server or at another service provider. Decentralized, protocol-based systems offer users a choice of providers and developers the opportunity to innovate, since developers deal directly with users, not a platform or company.

Distributed services using protocols have another big advantage: users on a network separated from the regular internet can still use them. Some countries and Internet Service Providers block access to services, users, and content that clash with the adminstration's politics. Totalitarian regimes have blocked centralized social networks, but distributed services inside the country, like that nation's web often continue to operate. Tent servers can be accessed over a wireless mesh network and run as a Tor hidden service, unlike centralized social networks.

The social web is too important to leave in the hands of any one company or government. The services on which the world depends need to be decentralized. Using Tent, the world can depend on social.

What does Tent do?

Tent servers maintain relationships between users and manages apps. Users create and view content on apps. When a users creates new content, their Tent server sends it to the followers they chose. It also listens for and stores new messages and content from the people and organizations that user follows. Every user on Tent also has a profile that stores basic information about the user. Tent also lets users control which apps can access their data and what can be done with it.

How can I use Tent?

First you need a Tent server. A Tent server sends new content to your followers and listens for new content from people you follow. It stores all this content safely so it's available for you to view later. You view and create content with apps. Apps connect to your server to post new content you've created and ask for content from people you follow. You can limit apps so they can't see all your content. If you have private photos or messages, you might want only a few apps to see them.

Soon you will be able to download and run Tent server on your own hardware or get started with a hosted provider who runs the server for you.

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What can Tent users do that they could not on other social networks?

Tent users can take their relationships–the users they follow and the users who follow them–and their content with them. Tent also lets them control their data, decide who can see it, and how they can use it. Tent is distributed and an open protocol, so if they don't like an app or service they can change providers or write their own.

They do not have to tell anyone about their Tent servers. They can also run a Tent server as a Tor hidden service, making it even harder for anyone to silence their voices online or track them down. Tent respects pseudonyms, handles, and everyone's right to anonymity. Since users control their own Tent servers, they also choose their name, which can be anything they want.

What is wrong with other social services?

Centralized Social Service Providers limit what you can share and who you can share with. They only allow users to interact with other users on the same network. Because their products are centralized and maintained by a company, users are left in the cold when the company changes its products or shuts down. There's nothing wrong with a company offering users social services. But users shouldn't be limited by those companies. Imagine if you could only email other customers of your Internet Service Provider. Unfortunately Centralized Social Service Providers have done just that. You can only communicate directly with other users of their closed network.

If you don't like a bank you can withdraw your money and deposit it somewhere else, including your own home. You could even start a new bank where you and your friends felt safe. You can still pay your bills and maintain your financial relationships, just tell them about your new account. We aren't talking about money. Your data is far more valuable– your family and friends' photos, locations, and private communications. You should be able to store them somewhere you trust, move them when you want, control who can and can't see them.

What about the federated social web?

Federated services add a few capabilities to Centralized Social Service Providers' products. Generally users can broadcast a stream of public events to other services in the Federation. Because private messages (and many other important features) are beyond the scope of most federation protocols, users can not send private messages to users of other Social Service Providers. Since these features are not standardized, Social Service Providers must implement proprietary features. This locks users into a specific Social Service Provider, and causes fragmentation which prevents interoperability. Diaspora* and OStatus were the first steps in moving away from Centralized Social Service Providers, but stopped short of actual decentralization. Any long-term solution will require a fully distributed architecture in its core design." (http://tent.io/)