FAQ

Q: What is the relevance of the dComms project?

A: dComms stands for decentralized communications. We have created platforms for Internet users in Ukraine to communicate with each other in the event of access restrictions or censorship of the Internet - what is happening now in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT).

dComms offers Ukrainian users decentralized Internet services such as Mastodon, Matrix, and Ceno Browser. These services are controlled by the users themselves, unlike the social networks of tech giants that are able to regulate free communication on their platforms.

The services offered by dComms allow users to communicate based on open, free protocols. These services are hosted locally on servers across Ukraine. An analogy: it was similar in the early 2000s, when people started connecting to the Internet at home on local networks.

A: Mastodon instances are actively growing in Ukraine due to the migration of users from Twitter/X. The most popular servers are Kyiv’s, Lviv’s, and Kharkiv’s.

Ukrainian Internet users actively use Matrix instances, such as Kyiv’s https://chat.kyiv.dcomm.net.ua/. Matrix protects privacy as much as possible and allows for completely anonymous registration without a phone number or email.

Ceno Browser for Android allows you to circumvent censorship and access content shared by others in a distributed cache. The more the browser is used in the main territories of Ukraine, the more access to Ukrainian content users in the temporarily occupied territories will have.

Q:Who is behind the dComms project?

A: The dComms project is being implemented by eQualitie, a Canadian digital security organization that specializes in the development and distribution of free and open source software. eQualitie has been operating in Ukraine since 2014. In addition to dComms, the organization currently offers Ukrainian media and NGOs DDoS protection (via Deflect) and supports the Nadiyno Digital Security Helpline in cooperation with Internews Ukraine.

Q: What is the principle of decentralization?

A: Decentralization means the Internet is controlled by many. It’s millions of devices linked together in an open network. No one actor can own it, control it, or switch it off for everyone.

Decentralized services are not connected to a single managing server, as is the case for Viber, Telegram, Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, etc. Accordingly, dComms services cannot be disabled by simply turning off the corresponding switches on a single main server.

The Internet and the World Wide Web remain the largest decentralized communication system humanity has ever seen. This was very much part of the design: the inventors of the Web wanted all people to be able to create and access information. Read more: https://internethealthreport.org/v01/decentralization/

Q: What is the easiest way to contact the dComms team?

A: Join the dComms instances in Mastodon and Matrix to communicate with the instances’ admins, or send an email to vitaliy(at)equalitie.org