Jack Dorsey "Regrets" His Part In Centralizing The Internet

Keneci Channel

The Block CEO and Twitter co-founder on Saturday, appeared to decry the centralization and control of the flow of information on the internet by big tech oligarchs in charge of Facebook, Amazon, Tencent, Google etc. He also expressed regret for being one of the culprits as former CEO of Twitter.

"The days of usenet, irc, the web...even email (w PGP)...were amazing," Jack tweeted. "Centralizing discovery and identity into corporations really damaged the internet. I realize I'm partially to blame, and regret it."

The Block CEO suggested the advent of advertising on platforms earlier, may have been part of the problem.

"Perhaps greater emphasis on protocol first and then interface would have helped," Dorsey wrote in another tweet. "I agree there were less technology options around making money tho. It led to advertising dominating."

While at Twitter, the CEO funded Bluesky, a decentralized social media protocol -- something like Mastodon -- which he said would allow for more conversations. Anyone can build a social media platform based on such protocol, and the servers can communicate or interconnect just like the email system. Such project will take years to develop.

Dorsey's Twitter is among the worst offenders when it comes to censorship. Critics were sure to point out the fact in replies to his tweet. One Twitter user asked him to put his money where his mouth is.

"Jack -- it takes a big man to admit this," software developer David Winer tweeted. "how about giving back to help the open web. it could really use some help."

To which, Dorsey responded simply: "Working on it."

Dorsey was CEO when Twitter banned former President Donald Trump from the platform for "violating its rules." He later admitted he felt the action set “a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation.”