There could be two initiatives coming together to create a more open web where users control their own digital IDs and data. At SXSW 2025, entrepreneur Frank McCourt, who is developing an open internet infrastructure (and throwing hats at the ring as a potential buyer for Tiktok), announced that his organization is discussing the integration of Internet pioneer Timerers-lee with an open source project to control its own data.
On a panel at SXSW, McCourt shared that his team “talked to Tim Berners-Lee about Solid”, adding that “Project Liberty is compatible with Solid.”
He did not announce any official partnerships, but McCourt suggested that debates on future collaborations are ongoing.
“We're now discussing and talking about how to incorporate it into our projects or how to incorporate it,” McCourt teased.
Berners-Lee, known as the father of World Wide Web, announced in 2018 that he was working with a small team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop Solid. He also tapped British engineer John Bruce to lead Suptup In Suptur, a startup built on top of open source projects.
InSupt has launched a privacy platform aimed at companies that control data with online storage entities known as individual online data stores, or online storage entities known as Pods for short.
With a similar mission in mind, Bernersley has supported Project Liberty's efforts. He supported Tiktok's bid, saying: “I have my support on this project. The web I invented was to provide power and value to individuals who don't currently have.”
However, there was no formal collaboration between Solid, Inturd Liberty and Project Liberty, but the latter focuses on the development of a distributed social networking protocol (DSNP).
That protocol today is being adopted by a handful of apps and other projects, including MEWE. Soar.com (founded by Paul Allen of Ancestry.com and building apps via studio models); unauthorized blockchain frequencies (developed by Project Liberty Labs).
Project Liberty recently announced a partnership with Free Our Feeds, an effort focused on protecting AT protocols that strengthen Bluesky's social networks.