Episode 278: Ben Waldman on Gander Social and the Challenges of Building a Sovereign Social Network

You know, there's certainly this discussion, especially around verification, obviously has some echoes with Bill C-34, the safety bill and the social media ban for under 16s.

Now, it doesn't apply in your context.

You're verifying already.

You're limiting to over 18.

Are you really creating a safe environment as well? And size-wise, at least for the moment, I'm going to guess that you're not quite there.

But, you know, what's your general take on the move towards the ban and some of the things the government's thinking about?

So, you know, I've... been involved of course in a lot of conversations around this um and everything from the one hand that is leave this up to parents which still uh to this day i'm like we clearly can't leave everything up to parents it has not worked um to uh you know the the people who are all for it i i I think it's right in spirit.

I think that handing over our data to the companies that are already manipulating and abusing of our data is a bad, bad, bad idea.

Like this law should come with, you know, doesn't have to be Canada Post, but some kind of sovereign, impartial, I don't know, something.

And I know it's complicated because the moment government is involved, that becomes a challenge as well.

But

you know,

whether or using institutional emails like we have, there has to be other mechanisms.

Um, I do applaud the idea of, you know, pushing these companies, uh, to the platforms to make safer spaces overall, uh, and, and giving that as a out.

I think that's also a space for abuse.

Um, it's a little bit amorphous as to how, uh, that would be, that would be judged and against what, um, But yeah, certainly handing over data, like here, Facebook, you've only ever done good things with our data before.

You didn't know specifically my name and address previous to this, but here you go.

Take it.

What could go wrong? Yeah.

Fair enough.

You're certainly not the first to raise that as an issue.

And one of the concerns, I think, with the bill is the government, I don't think, has really figured out that piece.

So in many ways, you've done the heavy lifting of trying to identify how to actually go ahead and do this and identify challenges along the way.

It doesn't feel like in the context of C-34, the government has figured any of that out.

They just basically said do it and leave the how for a later date.