Frank McCourt, a billionaire, is working on a project called Project Liberty. This project aims to create a decentralized social media platform. Recently, Project Liberty has partnered with Consensys, an Ethereum developer, to enter the blockchain ecosystem of Ethereum. This partnership will make Project Liberty’s Frequency blockchain compatible with Consensys’ technology. The Linea layer-2 network, which uses “zero knowledge” privacy technology, and the MetaMask self-custody wallet with 30 million monthly active users are some of the technologies that will be integrated as part of this partnership.
The main goal of Project Liberty is to reduce the reliance of consumers on big social media companies like Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) and Meta’s Facebook. Many users have already moved away from X and switched to alternatives like Threads or Bluesky, a public benefit corporation that embraces decentralization principles similar to Project Liberty’s vision. Bluesky has gained 1 million accounts on some days and has recently reached 20 million users.
Frank McCourt, the founder of Project Liberty, emphasized the importance of creating a universal social graph that is accessible to everyone and where individuals have control over their data. The project’s vision goes beyond addressing the issues present in social media and focuses on building a fairer internet without walled gardens and surveillance capitalism. This aligns Project Liberty closely with the Web3 concept promoted by technologists like Consensys chief Joe Lubin.
With over five years in the making and $500 million in funding, Project Liberty claims to be “population-scale” ready. McCourt believes that interoperability is the key to achieving their goal and draws parallels to the harmonization among large telcos that happened in the 1990s. He envisions a future where people will find it absurd that they had to be on a specific platform to communicate with others on the same platform.
The Project Liberty Summit on the Future of the Internet will take place in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 21-22. This event will bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss the future of the internet in the context of decentralization and privacy. Project Liberty’s partnership with Consensys marks a significant step towards realizing their vision of a fairer and more open internet for all users.
In conclusion, Project Liberty’s collaboration with Consensys represents a major milestone in the journey towards a decentralized social media ecosystem. The integration of Frequency blockchain with Consensys’ technologies will pave the way for a more inclusive and user-controlled online experience. As the project continues to evolve and expand its reach, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact and share information online.