EU Voice and EU Video: The alternatives to Twitter and YouTube prepared by the European Union

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) recently launched two new social media platforms: EU Voice and EU Video.

Outlined as alternatives to Twitter and YouTube, respectively, both alternatives are based on open source software and are in line with the European Union’s strategy on data and digital sovereignty, which among its objectives seeks to encourage Europe’s independence in the digital medium.

The European Union promotes two alternatives to popular North American digital services

According to ad of the EU, the EU Voice and EU Video platforms began a public pilot plan on April 28, limiting participation only to institutions, bodies and agencies of the European Union.

Through these spaces, the participating entities have the possibility of interacting with the public through the publication of short texts, images and videos, in the case of EU Voice; and through the uploading, broadcasting and interaction in the videos and podcasts that are uploaded to EU Video.

Specifically, these two platforms do not start from scratch. Both lay their foundations in other social networks, which have as a common element their decentralized, free and open source nature. In the case of EU Voice, the base software used is Mastodon and in the case of EU Video, the chosen alternative was PeerTube.

The distinctive element of the proposals presented by the EU with respect to its origin alternatives is that what is offered is an environment based on those, but oriented especially to privacy, in accordance with European legislation.

“Our goal is to offer alternative social media platforms that put people and their rights to privacy and data protection first”said Wojciech Wiewiórowski of the European Data Protection Supervisor.

The two new platforms presented do not transfer personal data to servers located in countries outside the European Union and the European Economic Area. In addition, both do not have ads and do not have profiles of people who can use the platforms. “These measures, among others, give individuals choice and control over how their personal data is used”said Wiewiórowski.

Although, due to the conditions of its current testing phase, the records are not open, both EUVoice What US Video they are available to enter. The experience that emerges from this first stage, open to the public, will determine the course that the future of both initiatives follows.