Ship or Die 2025: Project Liberty and DAIS

In a groundbreaking discussion, Michael Casey and Tomicah Tillemann of Project Liberty reveal how they're reshaping the future of data ownership and AI interactions through innovative technology and policy initiatives.

Summary

Project Liberty, a pioneering initiative, is developing infrastructure and policies to give individuals control over their digital lives in an AI-powered world. The organization is building technology that allows people to own and control their personal data, including their social graph, and to use it seamlessly across different platforms.

A key component of this effort is the development of a new protocol called DSNP (Decentralized Social Networking Protocol) and an infrastructure layer called frequency. These technologies aim to create a shared social graph that users can carry from platform to platform, effectively giving them ownership of their digital lives.

In addition to technological solutions, Project Liberty is also working on policy initiatives. They've successfully helped pass groundbreaking legislation in Utah that gives individuals full portability and interoperability of their personal data. This law is now being considered for adoption in other states, including New York.

The ultimate goal of Project Liberty is to create an internet where people, not platforms, are in charge of their information. This is seen as crucial in the emerging AI-powered world, where the relationship between individuals and their AI agents needs to be built on trust and user control.

Key Points:

The Need for Data Ownership in the AI Era

In the rapidly approaching AI-powered world, the question of who controls our digital agents is becoming increasingly critical. Project Liberty draws an analogy to the world of sports, particularly the fight for free agency in baseball during the 1960s. Just as players fought for the right to control their own careers, individuals today need to fight for control over their digital lives and the AI agents that will represent them.

The current risk is that we may end up in a world where AI agents work for platforms or companies (the "league") rather than for the individuals they're supposed to serve. Project Liberty aims to prevent this by giving people control over their own information and creating the necessary interoperability and data portability to use that information seamlessly across different platforms.

DSNP and Frequency: The Technical Infrastructure

Project Liberty has developed two key technological solutions to address the issue of data ownership and control: DSNP (Decentralized Social Networking Protocol) and frequency.

DSNP is a new protocol designed to provide a shared social graph that users can carry from platform to platform. This means that rather than having your entire digital life owned by a single company like Meta, you own your digital life and can leverage it wherever you want.

Frequency is the infrastructure layer that supports DSNP and other Project Liberty initiatives. Together, these technologies aim to create a seamless experience for users to control and port their data across different platforms.

Policy Initiatives and the Utah Law

Recognizing that technology alone is not enough to create change, Project Liberty also engages in policy and movement work. They believe that technical code and legal code need to come together to create the type of internet that people deserve.

A significant achievement in this area is the passage of a groundbreaking law in Utah. This law, developed in collaboration with Project Liberty, gives individuals the ability to have full portability for their information and interoperability using open protocols. The legislation has already passed and been signed into law in Utah, and similar bills are being introduced in other states, including New York.

The Future of Digital Interactions and AI Agents

Project Liberty's vision extends beyond just data ownership. They're looking ahead to a future where individuals have AI agents working on their behalf, similar to how sports agents represent athletes. The goal is to ensure that these AI agents are truly working for the individual, not for a platform or company.

This becomes particularly important in areas like trading, where having an agent that's truly working in your best interest can make a significant difference. Project Liberty's infrastructure aims to provide the foundation for this type of trusted, user-controlled AI interaction.

Facts + Figures

• Project Liberty has developed a new protocol called DSNP (Decentralized Social Networking Protocol)
• They've also created an infrastructure layer called frequency
• Millions of people are already using Project Liberty's single sign-on solution daily
• Utah has passed a law giving individuals full portability and interoperability of their personal data
• New York is introducing legislation similar to the Utah law
• Project Liberty collaborated with technologists from institutions including MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and Georgetown
• The organization's efforts to acquire TikTok's U.S. assets, called "the people's bid for TikTok," has attracted significant support
• TikTok has 170 million users in the U.S.
• Project Liberty aims to pivot from an attention economy to an intention economy

Top quotes

1. "We are going to build as of what we see to be the technology stack that is going to be needed if we are going to have an AI economy that is built upon privacy-preserving, open, self-sovereign, decentralized principles"
2. "When it comes to AI, we are at risk right now of ending up in a world where we're all going to have lots of agents working for us, but those agents are going to work for the league, or they're going to work for the team. They're not going to be working for us."
3. "We need a protocol that's going to connect people and allow us to use all of the incredible decentralized services that people are building on Solana and elsewhere."
4. "Let's get to a world where they are signing on our terms of service, not the other way around."
5. "As we barrel headlong into the AI age, we need to give human beings a seat at the bargaining table with the machines"

Questions Answered

What is Project Liberty?

Project Liberty is an initiative that aims to give individuals control over their digital lives, particularly in the context of an AI-powered world. The project develops both technological solutions and policy initiatives to ensure that people, not platforms, are in charge of their personal information and can use it seamlessly across different digital services.

What is DSNP and why is it important?

DSNP stands for Decentralized Social Networking Protocol. It's a new protocol developed by Project Liberty that provides a shared social graph that users can carry from platform to platform. This is important because it allows individuals to own and control their digital life, rather than having it owned by a single company like Meta. It enables users to leverage their data and connections wherever they want, giving them true ownership of their digital identity.

What legislation has Project Liberty helped pass?

Project Liberty has helped pass a groundbreaking law in Utah that gives individuals full portability for their information and interoperability using open protocols. This means that people in Utah now have the legal right to control their personal data and move it seamlessly across different digital platforms. Similar legislation is now being introduced in other states, including New York.

How does Project Liberty envision the future of AI agents?

Project Liberty envisions a future where individuals have AI agents working on their behalf, similar to how sports agents represent athletes. The goal is to ensure that these AI agents are truly working for the individual, not for a platform or company. This is seen as crucial in areas like trading, where having an agent that's genuinely working in your best interest can make a significant difference.

What is the "people's bid for TikTok"?

The "people's bid for TikTok" is Project Liberty's effort to acquire the U.S. assets of TikTok. While the outcome depends on various factors, including Chinese decisions and U.S. law, Project Liberty sees this as an opportunity to bring 170 million users into an ecosystem where they would have control over their information. However, they note that with many other large platforms now adopting their technology, TikTok is no longer a necessity for their mission.