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Type of site | Social networking service |
|---|---|
| Available in | Multilingual |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Owner | W Social AB |
| Founder(s) | Ingmar Rentzhog Anna Zeiter Johan Sundstrand Hogir Aslan |
| URL | wsocial |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required (identity verification mandatory) |
| Launched | January 19, 2026 (announcement) June 17, 2026 (public beta) |
| Current status | Active |
W Social is a social media platform incorporated in Sweden. Built on the AT Protocol, it was announced on 19 January 2026 at the World Economic Forum in Davos and launched in public beta on 17 June 2026.[1][2] The platform requires all users to verify their identity as real humans while allowing pseudonymous participation, and hosts all data on European infrastructure under European Union jurisdiction.[3]
The platform positions itself as a European alternative to US-based social networks, with stated goals of combating disinformation, bot activity, and reducing European dependence on American technology companies.[4][2][5]
History
[edit]Background
[edit]Several of W Social's founders previously worked together at We Don't Have Time, a climate-focused social media platform. Chairman Ingmar Rentzhog founded We Don't Have Time, while CTO Mario Nakic and Chief Creative Officer Petter Körnemark also held leadership roles there.[3]
Announcement and pre-launch
[edit]W Social was publicly announced on 19 January 2026 in conjunction with the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. According to the company, posts mentioning #wsocial accumulated over one billion views across major social media platforms within the first week of the announcement.[1]
Following the announcement, the platform operated a waitlist. According to Dig.Watch, a beta version was planned for as early as February 2026, with broader public access by the end of the year.[2] [6]
Public beta launch
[edit]The public beta launched on 17 June 2026.[1] [7] The launch coincided with the migration of several high-profile European political figures and institutional accounts to the platform, including those of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.[5][3]
Technology
[edit]AT Protocol
[edit]W Social is built on the AT Protocol, the same decentralised standard that underpins Bluesky. The platform operates its own Personal Data Server (PDS), relay, AppView, and moderation service.[1] All servers, storage, and supporting services including DNS and CDN are hosted in Europe by European service providers.[1]
Because both platforms use the AT Protocol, users can migrate from Bluesky to W Social while preserving their posts, follows, and conversations.[3]
As of June 2026, the platform still maintained some dependencies on Bluesky infrastructure but was working toward full self-sufficiency.[1]
W Identity
[edit]Identity verification is handled through a separate companion application called W Identity, available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. The app scans passports or national identity cards and performs verification directly on the user's device.[3]
The system is designed with a privacy-preserving architecture: W Identity confirms a user's verified status to W Social by transmitting only a UUID, without sharing personal identity data. According to the developers, W Identity has no way of determining which UUIDs correspond to which W Social accounts, creating a separation between identity verification and platform activity.[1]
Users must be at least 18 years old to register.[3]
Open-source status
[edit]W Social initially operated using the open-source AT Protocol stack. However, the client application went closed source shortly before or at the time of its public launch in June 2026. A W Social developer stated the decision was made due to security concerns at launch, describing it as "more out of low self-confidence rather than growing corporate greed," and committed to returning to an open-source model.[1][8]
Features
[edit]- Verified human accounts – All users must pass identity verification; no unverified or bot accounts are permitted[3]
- Pseudonymity – Verified users may choose to appear under their real name or remain anonymous[3]
- European data residency – All user data is stored on European infrastructure and governed by GDPR and EU law[2]
- Platform migration – Users can transfer their Bluesky accounts including post history[3]
- Trending topics – Designed to expose users to content outside their existing networks[3]
- Organisational accounts – Available for companies and organisations[3]
Leadership
[edit]Executive team
[edit]| Role | Name | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Chairman of the Board | Ingmar Rentzhog | Founder of We Don't Have Time |
| CEO & Co-Founder | Anna Zeiter | Former Vice President at eBay International; PhD in free speech; Professor for Data and AI Law[2] |
| CTO | Mario Nakic | Co-Founder and former CTO of We Don't Have Time |
| Chief Creative Officer | Petter Körnemark | Former CCO at We Don't Have Time |
| Chief Commercial Officer & Co-Founder | Johan Sundstrand | Former Founder & CEO of Phyron AB |
| Chief Marketing Officer & Co-Founder | Hogir Aslan | |
| Chief Operating Officer | Lisa Letteriello |
Advisory board
[edit]The platform's advisory board includes several notable figures in European politics, technology, and privacy:[3]
- Philipp Rösler, former Vice-Chancellor of Germany and Minister for Economics and Technology
- Pär Nuder, former Swedish Minister for Finance
- Elizabeth Denham, former UK Information Commissioner (CBE)
- Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, German Federal Data Protection Commissioner
- Thomas Süssli, former Swiss Chief of Armed Forces
- Yariv Adan, former AI Lead at Google, co-founder of Google Assistant and Google Lens
- Georgi Ganev, former CEO of Kinnevik
- Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Honorary President of the Club of Rome
- Travis LeBlanc, member of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
- Harvey Jang, Chief Privacy Officer at Cisco
- Marc Placzek, Chief Privacy Officer at Tools for Humanity, former CPO at PayPal
Reception
[edit]Adoption by EU institutions
[edit]The migration of European Commission and other EU institutional accounts from Bluesky to W Social attracted media attention. Greek City Times reported the move as part of a broader push for digital sovereignty in Europe.[5] The platform's launch was described by Euronews and Dig.Watch as reflecting Europe's desire for social media independence from US technology companies.[9] [2]
Criticism
[edit]The decision to move the client application to closed source drew criticism from open-source software advocates and privacy commentators. State of Surveillance noted the contradiction between the European Commission's stated commitment to open-source principles in its "Tech Sovereignty Plan" and its institutional adoption of a platform that had gone closed source.[8]
The platform's identity verification requirements, while designed to combat bots, have also raised questions about the balance between anti-disinformation measures and user anonymity, given the passport-level verification required for account creation.[1]
See also
[edit]- AT Protocol
- Bluesky
- Digital sovereignty
- General Data Protection Regulation
- Fediverse
- We Don't Have Time
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i "W Social: Hello World!". AT Protocol Community. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "W debuts as Europe seeks social media independence". Dig.Watch. 29 January 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ Folgado, Philippe (21 January 2026). "Davos : qu'est-ce que « W », le nouveau réseau social européen qui veut concurrencer X ?". Europe 1. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ^ a b c "EU Leaders Join New European Social Media Platform Amid Push for Digital Sovereignty". Greek City Times. 21 June 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ Paternoster, Tamsin (29 January 2026). "Fact check: Is the EU launching a social media platform called 'W'?". Euronews. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ^ Desmarais, Anna (19 June 2026). "W thinks it has the X Factor: Everything to know about Europe's latest alternative to mainstream social media". Euronews. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ^ a b "European Commission Moves Bluesky Accounts to W Social, a Closed-Source..." State of Surveillance. 2026. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ^ Paternoster, Tamsin (29 January 2026). "Fact check: Is the EU launching a social media platform called 'W'?". Euronews. Retrieved 27 June 2026.