Can anything hope to compete with Twitter and Facebook? Other social networks, like Diaspora, have tried, but all have failed.
In this Wired article, excellently headlined “Man Crosses Twitter and Google Reader to Create Open Source Love Child,” Michael Powers describes his latest project, Trsst—an alternative to Facebook and Twitter but more secure in light of this summer’s NSA revelations.
Trsst shows public messages like Twitter or Facebook statuses, but it also encrypts private messages so they can’t be seen by the wrong eyes. And Powers says Trsst will not sit on computer servers run by a single company, which Wired says will “make things more difficult for government surveillance programs in the vein of PRISM.”
Powers has launched a $48,000 Kickstarter to get the Trsst ball rolling. With the death of Google Reader, Powers could really have something here.
Powers was inspired by Edward Snowden, he told Wired. Amid all the paranoia and leaked documents detailing government spying, the timing might be perfect for a more secure social network.
Photo via Fabricio/Flickr