Meta exploring a new social network that could compete with Twitter

Meta is exploring a new decentralized, text-based social network that could compete with Elon Musk’s Twitter.

Tech newsletter Platformer reported that the project, codenamed P92, would be built as a stand-alone app, but that users would log in using their Instagram credentials. The move could help Meta attract some of the Twitter users who are looking for alternatives after Musk took over and changed some of the site’s rules.

“We’re exploring a standalone decentralized social network for sharing text updates,” a Meta spokesperson told CNBC on Friday. “We believe there’s an opportunity for a separate space where creators and public figures can share timely updates about their interests.”

The effort by Meta would expand its offerings beyond Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, and into a space that has been dominated by Elon Musk’s Twitter. The project is being led by Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Platformer said.

Decentralized social networks, like Mastodon or Jack Dorsey-backed Bluesky, rely on individual servers which use a uniform protocol, avoiding centralized control of content and possible censorship.

It isn’t clear how long Meta has been working on the P92 product, or whether the company has moved into the development process. Moneycontrol, which first broke the story, cited a person familiar with the matter who said the idea was still a “work-in-progress.”

Meta is also exploring integrations with existing social networks like Twitter or Mastodon, in part relying on a protocol called ActivityPub, Moneycontrol reported.