Meta has reportedly started the development of a decentralised, text-based social network application that supports ActivityPub. The company behind Facebook and Instagram is working on a new app codenamed P92, which will be Instagram-branded and allow users to log in with their existing Instagram credentials according to cointelegraph.

com. The app will support ActivityPub, which is a  decentralised social networking protocol that powers Mastodon and other Twitter competitor apps. The ActivityPub protocol is a decentralized social networking protocol based upon the [ActivityStreams] 2.

0 data format. It provides a client-to-server API for creating, updating and deleting content, as well as a federated server-to-server API for delivering notifications and content. The initial product version will see users’ profiles being populated with their Instagram account details, such as their names, usernames, bio, profile photo and followers.

The app will be in line with the company’s current privacy policy according to the product brief, but it will include its own privacy policy and terms of service since it will leverage cross-app data sharing. At the time of writing, a minimum viable product (MVP) plan involves allowing users to send posts to people on other servers. It’s not yet decided if users will be able to follow and view people’s content on other servers, however.

What are some of the app’s main features? The initial variant of the app will include features such as tappable links in posts with previews, user bio, usernames, verification badges, as well as the ability to share images and videos. Other functionalities will include a follower base and support for likes, but it’s yet uncertain if commenting and messaging features will be included in this first version. Business and creator accounts might also receive the ability to re-share posts, but the development team has not yet made a decision on whether to implement this feature or not.

It’s also worth noting that the developers will integrate a rights manager for first-party content from the start, but third-party content from other apps and servers will not be included. This app development effort comes in the context of Twitter users looking to find alternatives to the Elon Musk-led platform. Tech companies and startups have been looking to take advantage of this growing trend.

In the past months, rival platforms such as Mastodon, Post. news and T2 have either launched their own apps or recorded some success in their efforts to attract former Twitter users. .