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Elena Rossini on GoToSocial โ‚@elena@aseachange.com

Italian writer, photographer and filmmaker based in Paris, France. Fediverse cheerleader.

I run the newsletter #TheFutureIsFederated which aims to explain the numerous benefits of the Fediverse to people not familiar with it.

I recently started learning Linux and self-hosting and I'm sharing stories about this new journey with the hashtag #MySoCalledSudoLife.

I'm a :LegoLogo: and :YunoHost: aficionada.

My values are: :BlackLivesMatter: :Feminist: :HeartPride: :HeartTrans: :NoNazis:



blog: https://blog.elenarossini.com
all my links: https://elena.social
Joined: 2026-05-05 23:47:32
3 notes, 0 following, 0 followers
Elena Rossini on GoToSocial โ‚@elena@aseachange.com (2026-06-22 18:18:28)
Dear Fedi friends,

It may be time for a re-introduction: I'm Elena, an Italian creative (writer, photographer, filmmaker) living in Paris, France.

You may have initially gotten to know me for my advocacy for the Fediverse (like my Fedi intro video: https://blog.elenarossini.com/fediverse-video/ or my blog or my Fediverse stock photo). So, you may have been a bit confused lately, over all my critical posts about the new network W Social. Why do I keep bringing it up?

I believe that W Social - and its required, companion app W Identity - are an existential threat to the Fediverse. So I'm fighting tooth and nail to oppose and resist them.

Why? The European Commission has enthusiastically embraced this new hard fork of Bluesky that requires age verification. Even Ursula von der Leyen advertised the launch of W Social in between G7 meetings last week.

I have MOUNTAINS of evidence of poor planning, extremely lax security, use of U.S. Big Tech platforms for something that purports to be "based in Europe, for the world."

Why is it a threat for the Fediverse? The only way to make sense of the European Commission's embrace of this platform is that maybe it sees it as a trial run for MANDATORY age verification for social media across the European Union.

No Fediverse app has infrastructure in place to comply. And if a mandate is introduced, it would spell the end of the open social web and internet anonymity... like Chat Control, but basically killing the Fediverse.

I find it EXTREMELY disturbing to see the enthusiastic embrace of W Social by the European Commission. It took them YEARS to change their website footer and add Mastodon and Bluesky instead of X. In the span of 5 weeks, they replaced the Bluesky logo (a butterfly) with the "W" from W Social.

All my posts about W Social from last week went viral. My articles have been quoted in articles in French, Dutch and German news sites (https://blog.elenarossini.com/tag/w-social/).

I have held back from sharing more e
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Elena Rossini on GoToSocial โ‚@elena@aseachange.com (2026-06-18 19:42:11)
How to create an account on #WSocial in 13 easy steps:

choose a username
choose a password
choose your interests
download the #WIdentity app to your phone (two options: Apple AppStore or Google Play Store)
scan a QR code
create a PIN code
optional: enable biometrics; re-enter PIN
choose whether you simply want to verify that you're human or if you also want to verify your name
choose the verification method (automatic photo review, request a manual review or scan your passport chip)
scan your passport's picture page
scan your passport's chip
take a selfie
scan a QR code to link the W Identity to your W Social account
enter your PIN code
Congratulations, you're verified*!

(* for two years)

Demonstration in all its simple glory here:

๐Ÿ“บโ€‹: https://inv.nadeko.net/Vcq4MiabpEQ

Please save this toot as reference if you ever hear somebody say that IT'S TOO COMPLICATED TO JOIN THE FEDIVERSE BECAUSE YOU NEED TO PICK A SERVER ๐Ÿคกโ€‹

#SocialMedia
Elena Rossini on GoToSocial โ‚@elena@aseachange.com (2026-05-05 19:15:02)
Asking for a friend: do you remember the fantastic https://w-social.eu website that explained to people what the Fediverse is and why it's a much better alternative to #WSocial?

Sadly it appears to be offline / with an expired SSL cert. Do you know who is behind it? Any chances of reviving it?

The folks behind W Social are launching the site this Saturday... they already got TV coverage in Germany last night ๐Ÿ˜’โ€‹

#AskFedi