P2P Social Networks: Peer-to-Peer Connection Without Central Control

P2P social networks (Peer-to-Peer Social Networking Services) are a decentralized model of online social interaction — where users connect directly, without a central server controlling data, identity, or topology.

How They Differ from Centralized Platforms (Facebook, X, Instagram)

Examples & Protocols

• Mastodon / ActivityPub (Fediverse): Federated — not pure P2P but decentralized
• Scuttlebutt (SSB): True P2P — offline-first, gossip protocol
• Nostr: Simple relay-based; keys = identity; censorship-resistant
• Lens Protocol: Web3 social graph on Polygon
• Farcaster: Sufficiently decentralized; Ethereum identity
• Briar / Session: P2P messaging (Tor / onion routing)

Why It Matters

P2P social nets address surveillance, deplatforming, algorithmic manipulation, data extraction — but face usability, discovery, spam, moderation, scaling challenges.

They're not "social networking services" in the Web 2.0 sense — they're protocols for social sovereignty. Early days. But growing.