Here's what I said
Today I had the distinct honor of representing Mastodon as we were acknowledged by the Digital Public Goods Alliance during the United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies's Open Source Week. I spoke briefly about our certification during a breakfast held for the Alliance.
Here's what I said:
~
Good morning everyone. My name is Hannah Aubry, and I serve as a member of Mastodon’s Board of Directors.
Today marks a significant milestone for Mastodon as we are officially recognized as a digital public good by this Alliance.
In case you’re not familiar, Mastodon is a decentralized social media platform that puts people first. Unlike traditional social media controlled by a single company, Mastodon is a network of thousands of independent communities, or “instances,” each operated by different organizations or individuals. These communities are built around shared interests, geography, or values, while remaining interconnected through an open protocol.
This protocol, ActivityPub, is the foundation of what we call the fediverse – a network of interoperable social platforms across which users can follow their friends, interact with each other, and migrate from platform to platform. Other members of the fediverse include a wide array of applications with different purposes such as WordPress, Ghost, PeerTube, Pixelfed, WriteFreely, Lemmy, Owncast, and more. This cross-platform interoperability is fundamental to our vision of a truly open social web.
Our values guide everything we do. We seek to empower communities to connect and collaborate while maintaining their autonomy and unique identities. Through decentralization, we create pathways for diverse groups to interact on their own terms, fostering understanding across different perspectives and cultures. We remove technical barriers that traditionally separate people, while respecting boundaries that communities choose to set for themselves. Our platform serves as a foundation for building connections, sharing knowledge, and creating networks of mutual support. We believe that true freedom comes from the ability to build bridges between communities while preserving each group's right to self-determination.
Being recognized as a digital public good aligns perfectly with our mission, and affirms our belief that communication sovereignty is a vital aspect of data sovereignty. This recognition acknowledges that Mastodon meets the DPG Standard – adhering to privacy best practices, doing no harm, and contributing to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. And it aids us in our mission to empower public institutions to speak directly to their citizens and constituents, without the filter of a corporation.
As concerns grow over the centralizing power of Big Tech platforms, Mastodon offers a different path forward. We're enabling governments and public institutions to reach their communities without paying for visibility or fighting algorithms. Through Mastodon, institutions can establish their own moderation policies, maintain control of their data, and build direct relationships with the people they serve.
This recognition by the DPGA strengthens our position as a crucial element of digital public infrastructure. It validates our commitment to open-source principles and our vision of a more equitable digital world.
Looking ahead, we remain committed to our vision of an open and safe social internet that encourages everyone to connect, create, feel welcome and be free to dream. We remain dedicated to our mission of building a social web free from corporate control. And we will continue developing tools and infrastructure that empower communities, protect privacy, and foster authentic connections.
Thank you to the DPGA for this recognition, and thank you all for being part of this journey toward a more open, inclusive, and human-centered internet.
~
Learn more about this news in our blog post: https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/06/mastodon-dpga/
##