According to reports from The Verge, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is developing a new app to compete with Twitter. The app, code named “Project 92,” aims to leverage the large user base of Meta’s Instagram platform and capitalize on discontent with Elon Musk’s policies. Chris Cox, Meta’s product boss, presented a preview of the app to employees, describing it as a direct response to Twitter.
The new app will utilize Instagram’s account systems to merge existing user information onto the platform. It will also integrate Activity Pub, a decentralized social media protocol that connects users’ social media platforms and accounts into one system. The goal is to provide a safer and easier-to-use alternative to Twitter, addressing concerns about content moderation and the increase in hate speech on the platform since Musk’s acquisition.
Cox stated that Meta has already garnered interest from celebrities like DJ Slime and is in discussions with public figures such as Oprah and the Dalai Lama. By adopting the ActivityPub protocol, Meta follows the trend of decentralized social platforms that have emerged as rivals to Twitter. Mastodon, an ActivityPub-based platform, saw its user base double after Musk took over Twitter in 2022, while Bluesky, backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has attracted high-profile users since its launch.
Decentralized social networking protocols allow users to seamlessly transition between platforms without losing their network of friends and contacts. This approach marks a departure for Meta, which has traditionally operated as a closed “walled garden” where user content and contacts are locked into the platform.
Meta began working on Project 92 in January, and Cox mentioned that the app could potentially be named “Threads” upon its launch, which is expected to happen as soon as possible. Fortune reached out to Meta for comment, but no immediate response was received.
