European privacy regulator stops using its own social media platforms – IT Pro – News

The European privacy regulator EDPS will stop EU Voice and EU Video on May 18: two free open source social media platforms that it introduced in 2022 through a pilot. The watchdog has not found any partners to take over the management of the platforms.

According to EDPS President Wojciech Wiewiorowski, the project has shown that public bodies, such as European institutions, can offer alternatives to the current social media platforms of large companies while respecting the rights of the individual. According to the chairman, the project, which was introduced in 2022, was a success.

The press release shows that EU Voice currently has approximately forty accounts from EU bodies, such as accounts from MEPs and European Commissioners. There were reportedly six such accounts active on EU Video. The EDPS will assist the administrators of these accounts with the transition to another platform in the Fediverse.

EU Voice and EU Video were introduced through a pilot in April 2022. They are two free, decentralized social networks developed by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS). EU Voice is based on Mastodon and is intended for sharing short messages, images and short videos. EU Video is based on the video platform PeerTube. Users can share longer videos and podcasts through this social media network. The two platforms are open source and according to the EDPS, data from the platforms is not shared outside the EU and the European Economic Area. No advertisements are shown on the platforms and users are not profiled.