We might imagine that Mastodon is safe because it cannot be acquired or controlled by any one entity, but it absolutely *can* be.
In fact, with interest in it rising, Mastodon is at its *most* vulnerable time right now. Mastodon is in many respects an inadequate implementation. All any corporation has to do is launch a major ActivityPub implementation with the features and polish people want—enough to migrate people over en masse—and they will have effectively "acquired” Mastodon. (And honestly I suspect this is going to happen soon anyway.)
Google destroyed RSS and XMPP this way. Yes, they’re still out there, but only shadows of their former selves.
Matrix gives us the rare chance to head off this phenomenon before it happens.
(notifications muted)