FOSDEM 2026: How to Level Up the Fediverse

The fediverse isn't done! Or, at least, that's the opinion of ActivityPub co-authors Christine Lemmer-Webber and Jessica Tallon, who took the stage at FOSDEM 2026 to discuss how we could improve the fediverse with ActivityPub-compatible enhancements. Their presentation, titled "How to Level Up the Fediverse," explored the potential for more robust and secure communication patterns, decentralized storage solutions, and improved identity systems that could transform how we interact across federated social networks.

ActivityPub, the protocol that powers much of the fediverse including Mastodon, Pixelfed, and PeerTube, has been remarkably successful in enabling decentralized social networking. However, as Lemmer-Webber and Tallon pointed out, the protocol was designed with certain assumptions and limitations that, while adequate for its initial goals, leave room for significant improvement as the ecosystem matures and faces new challenges.

One of the primary areas of focus was communication patterns. The current ActivityPub implementation, while functional, lacks certain features that would make federated communication more robust and secure. The speakers discussed potential improvements that could add stronger encryption capabilities, better support for private conversations, and more sophisticated moderation tools that work seamlessly across different instances and platforms. These enhancements would address some of the most pressing concerns users have about privacy and safety in federated environments.

The discussion of decentralized storage was particularly intriguing, as it touches on one of the fundamental challenges of federated systems: how to handle data that needs to be accessible across multiple servers while maintaining user control and privacy. Lemmer-Webber and Tallon explored concepts for distributed storage systems that could work within the ActivityPub framework, potentially using technologies like IPFS or similar content-addressed storage systems. This would allow users to maintain ownership of their data while still making it available to their network across different instances.

Identity management emerged as another crucial area for improvement. In the current fediverse, identity is often tied to specific instances, which can create problems when instances go offline or when users want to migrate between platforms. The speakers proposed ideas for more portable and persistent identity systems that would allow users to maintain their social connections and content regardless of which instance they choose to use. This could involve cryptographic identity solutions or other mechanisms that separate identity from hosting infrastructure.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the presentation was the introduction of Spritely's work in this space. Spritely, a project focused on building next-generation internet technology, is applying its innovations specifically toward improving the fediverse. The project aims to bring more sophisticated capabilities to federated social networks, potentially including richer interactive experiences, better support for collaborative applications, and more seamless integration between different types of federated services.

The connection between Spritely's technology and the fediverse represents a fascinating convergence of cutting-edge research and practical social networking needs. By focusing on ActivityPub-compatible improvements, Spritely is working to ensure that its innovations can be adopted by existing fediverse platforms rather than requiring users to migrate to entirely new systems. This approach could accelerate the adoption of more advanced features while preserving the existing social connections and content that users have built up over time.

What makes this work particularly significant is that it's being driven by the original co-authors of ActivityPub itself. Lemmer-Webber and Tallon bring not just technical expertise but also deep understanding of the protocol's design decisions, limitations, and the community's needs. Their involvement suggests that these improvements are being developed with careful consideration of how they will integrate with existing systems and how they will be received by the broader fediverse community.

The timing of these discussions is also noteworthy. As the fediverse experiences renewed interest following various social media controversies and concerns about centralized platform control, there's both opportunity and pressure to evolve the technology to better serve users' needs. The improvements being proposed could help address some of the scalability and usability challenges that have limited broader adoption of federated social networks.

However, the path forward isn't without challenges. Any changes to core protocols like ActivityPub must be carefully considered to maintain backward compatibility and ensure smooth transitions for existing users and instances. The federated nature of the system means that improvements need to be adopted across multiple independent platforms and instances, which can be a slow and complex process. Additionally, there are always trade-offs between adding new features and maintaining the simplicity and accessibility that have made ActivityPub successful.

The presentation at FOSDEM 2026 represents an important moment in the evolution of the fediverse. By bringing together the original protocol designers, cutting-edge technology from projects like Spritely, and the broader community of developers and users, it creates a foundation for thoughtful, sustainable improvement of federated social networking. The focus on practical, ActivityPub-compatible enhancements suggests a pragmatic approach that could deliver real benefits to users while preserving the decentralized, user-controlled nature that makes the fediverse valuable.

As the fediverse continues to grow and evolve, the work being done by Lemmer-Webber, Tallon, and the Spritely project could play a crucial role in determining whether federated social networking can truly compete with centralized platforms while offering superior privacy, control, and resilience. The improvements discussed at FOSDEM 2026 represent not just technical enhancements but a vision for a more robust, secure, and user-friendly decentralized internet.