The EU joins Mastodon and creates its server

After Elon Musk’s bid for Twitter was accepted, the European Union created an EU Voice server to join Mastodon’s social network. European Commission’s server, dubbed EU Voice, joins Mastodon’s decentralized social network, known as a “Fediverse.”

The project represents the EU’s mission to support private and open-source software that can compete with mainstream platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The European Commission also opened up an account for PeerTube, another decentralized video-sharing platform.

We are on #Mastodon!

You can now read and engage with news and information about 🇪🇺 EU policies in a privacy-focused environment.

Follow us 🔗https://t.co/THYkbKjQz6 #Fediverse @joinmastodon

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) April 28, 2022

According to European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski, the EU Voice and EU Video pilot launch prioritize individuals’ privacy and data protection rights by not relying on transfers of personal data to countries outside the European Union Economic Area. “These measures, amongst others, give individuals a choice and control over how their data is used,” he said.

The news could help Mastodon gain more visibility as it attempts to compete with Twitter. According to Mastodon founder Eugen Rochko, Mastodon grew in users over the past few days following Musk’s Twitter takeover announcement.