u/DualityEnigma

Hi friends. I miss Digg and I miss the old internet. I have put years into modeling what works and doesn't work in current social media platforms and wanted to build something based on real privacy layers (encryption), and real bonds with real people and places. In other words can we bring back the old internet already.

So I created a social co-op. It exists for it's members, you the people that want to share common interests.

I'm distributing lifetime free founders memberships to help get us going.

Please check it out: https://tribes.app/signup
Founders Member code: TRIBE-WK99-MRSR

We are just getting started so feel free to AMA and new Tribes are private by default (so make them public if you want people to be able to join). Enjoy!

What I'm solving: The internet has been largely enshitified, sharing information and discussion is paywalled, astroturfed to hell and overrun by bots.

The solution: A platform built on trust. A human, privacy first platform that we start organically that is organized around our connections, our people, our tribes (groups, orgs, forums) that is driven by our connection too them, not algorithms pushing a never ending feed of slop into your world.

Instead this will be content and creator driven. If you like creating entertaining/helpful things, even if you like to sell (we have a Mood for that) I'm looking for you. Music/Acting (me)/Live also welcome, there is something in the roadmap JUST for you and your fans that I want you to be part of.

Stage: Early testing and Beta
Available: Web & iOS Testflight

The goal is to drive member owned so I want it built organically by good people and organic sharing.

I could use feedback.

How do I best get the word out without breaking rules anywhere? Seems like organic is dead?

I want organic users but if I share the link I'm funneling. If I hire founding admins for sections of tribes (e.g. technology/news) then I'm starting with company driven content which is I'm not above this but the point is creators connecting to their people. Submit on Product Hunt?

Is there any way to do this organically any more? Or do I have to start with paid shills to start getting traction? Yes there is a lot here, but that's because I've been working on this for years haha.

Feed list (AI generated):

• Passkey-only auth — No passwords. Sign in with biometrics via your device's secure enclave.
• E2E encrypted posts — Journal, bond, and private tribe content is AES-256-GCM encrypted client-side. Server only stores ciphertext.
• Automatic key recovery — PRF extension derives a wrapping key from your passkey to restore E2E keys on new devices.
• Private tribes — Group keys distributed via RSA-OAEP wrapped grants. Only members with the key can read posts.
• Bond encryption — Person-to-person posts use ECDH-derived shared secrets. Only the two bonded users can decrypt.
• TLS 1.3 everywhere — Auto-provisioned Let's Encrypt on all endpoints.
• Encrypted backups — Nightly restic snapshots with AES-256, deduplicated, pushed offsite.
• Zero server-side plaintext — The server cannot read your private content. No backdoor, no admin panel override.
• Bonds — Mutual connections with expiring passkeys (90–365 days). Bonds go dormant, not deleted. Reconnect anytime.
• Inner Circle — Toggle any bond into your closest ring for longer access and your most personal content.
• Tribes — Community spaces with founders, speakers, and members. Public or private, instant join or approval-gated.
• Mood Streams — Platform-wide feeds filtered by vibe (Chill, Focus, Discover, Showcase, etc.). Tribe founders promote posts, not an algorithm.
• NFC Tap-to-Bond — Form connections by tapping phones together at events and meetups.
• Aliases — Use different names and avatars in different tribes. One account, many identities.
• Reputation system — Newcomer → Active → Trusted → Veteran → Elder. Earned through contributions, not followers.
• Personal Wall — A living profile that auto-populates from your pinned posts. Customizable backgrounds and layout.
• Concentric Rings — Content visibility scoped by ring. Journal is private, Inner Circle is intimate, Tribes are communal.
• No data harvesting — No ads, no tracking pixels, no third-party analytics.
• Invite-only onboarding — Controlled growth via invite codes to prevent bot floods.
• Co-op governance — Paid members get voting rights. No single entity controls moderation policy.