Flickr Considers Joining the Decentralized Fediverse Through ActivityPub
Flickr's CEO is actively polling users about adopting the ActivityPub protocol, which could transform the photo-sharing platform into a part of the decentralized fediverse.
Flickr explores the possibility of integrating with ActivityPub, the same social protocol that powers Mastodon and other decentralized networks. CEO Don MacAskill actively polls users to determine if there is enough demand to justify connecting the photo-sharing platform to the fediverse. This move follows a similar announcement from Tumblr and reflects a growing corporate interest in open-source social networking alternatives.
If Flickr adopts this protocol, it transforms from a standalone photo-sharing site into an interconnected piece of a larger social web. Users across different platforms find, follow, and interact with each other without needing separate accounts for every service. This interconnected approach directly challenges traditional corporate-controlled social networks by distributing control across independent global servers.
Despite the apparent enthusiasm, MacAskill cautions that pursuing ActivityPub support requires the company to deprioritize other planned features and projects. To balance these trade-offs, the executive uses a public poll to gauge exactly how much users want this functionality. Early poll results show strong support, with only a small minority of respondents opposing the integration.