About

The purpose of dComms

dComms (https://dcomm.net.ua) is a project to create an alternative communication platform for Internet users in Ukraine in cases of access restriction or censorship on the network. dComms was launched by Canadian organization eQualitie in February 2022 in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

dComms offers Ukrainian users decentralized Internet services such as Mastodon, Matrix, Ceno Browser and Briar. Users themselves have control over these services, unlike the social networks of tech giants that can limit communication on their platforms.

We offer a list of various services that allow you to communicate using an open and free protocol - these services are located on local servers in Ukraine (an analogy: it looks like the early 2000s when people started connecting to the Internet at home via local networks).

How does it work?

Following a few simple steps (downloading apps/choosing servers/registering for services), you can keep in touch with each other, with friends and relatives abroad, and gain access to the external Internet in case the usual methods of communication stop working.

For services such as Mastodon or Matrix, the following principles are inherent: decentralization and federation. In simple words: these tools / social networks do not have a single server that manages their work, like Viber, Telegram, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, etc. Accordingly, decentralized services cannot be disabled by clicking on the switch.

Note: To use decentralized services during an external Internet outage, you must download them in advance. Local servers work on local hostings, and their settings can be controlled. On https://dcomm.net.ua you will find several tools included in the Fediverse - a union of decentralized services that operate on the principle of federation: having an account in one service, a user can interact with other services without registering on them.

Important! Server owners CANNOT access private chats they are not members of. Server owner access is limited to public chats only.

Currently the site features several services from a large list of decentralized Internet services or the Fediverse - primarily Mastodon and Matrix. This list will gradually expand. If you would like to propose any new services to dComms, please submit a request to us on Github: https://github.com/censorship-no/dcomms

The offered services are located on servers in Ukrainian local data centers - from Lviv and Rivne to Kharkiv and Odesa. If you have access to one of the servers, you can communicate with each other even if the Internet connection required to use other popular instant messengers such as Telegram and Whatsapp do not work in your area. In the event of a power outage, the services can still work if you are on the network of the local dComms hoster.

Note! dComms does not share your data or information about you with any private companies or authorities.

Why is this needed?

We target two main target audiences:

• Users in the main territory of Ukraine, for whom data privacy issues are important, service algorithms are clear, and the use of decentralized Internet services is an alternative to the products of tech giants;
• Users in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, where there are privacy and security risks as well as restrictions on access to the Internet, taking into account censorship by the aggressor country (blocking Ukrainian sites, filtering traffic).

Note: eQualitie develops free and open-source software with a focus on open, decentralized, and federated technologies. Learn more about the organization: https://equalit.ie