888 B
Matrix
(stub)
Matrix is a protocol designed more for chat than for social networks, but it is worth mentioning because it has achieved a federated chat experience with good UX at scale, and has done valuable work on improving identity and moderation. The protocol currently has around 11 million users who use a variety of clients. It is developed by the company New Vector which raised an $8 million series A in 2019. Matrix has a more flexible identity solution than most decentralized protocols — users have a Matrix user id, but can also use 3rd party ids. A Matrix account links to ids such as email addresses, social accounts, and phone numbers. A globally federated cluster of trusted identity servers verify and replicate the mappings. The Matrix team has also been working intensively on tools for moderation, detailed here, and plans to release a p2p implementation soon.