Cairnmaya maya@example.com
Posting from my own domain — no one can pretend to be me here.Your keys are your account.
Cairn is a social network with no sign-up, no phone number and no ads. What you post publicly is signed and can't be quietly edited. What you say privately is encrypted before it leaves your browser — and the servers can't see who you're talking to.
Public demo. Rough edges, data may be reset. Bring nothing you can't afford to lose — and download your backup.
How it works
Three ideas, no magic.
A persona is a keypair
Created in your browser in a second. No email, no password reset, no registry. Your backup file is the account — keep it, and it works anywhere.
Everything is a signed object
Posts, replies, follows, profiles. Anyone can check the signature; no server can forge or alter them. Public content is hash-anchored to a chain, so history stays honest.
Relays are interchangeable
Relays store and serve objects. They form a mesh, replicate each other, and if yours goes down your app moves to the next one. Anyone can run one.
What's private, what isn't
Privacy is built into the format of the data, not into a policy someone can change later.
| Feature | Who can read it | What a relay learns |
|---|---|---|
| Public posts, follows, reactions | Everyone | The post — it's public. Never your IP address. |
| Groups | Members only (MLS, RFC 9420) | Ciphertext and an opaque group id |
| Direct messages | The two of you (double ratchet) | Ciphertext in a mailbox id that changes daily — not who is talking to whom |
| Files & images | Whoever holds the key inside the message | Encrypted chunks addressed by hash |
| Public video planned | Everyone | Served by a CDN like any website — the one place views are visible |
No IP addresses are written anywhere — not by the relay, not by the TLS front. Rate limits are per persona, never per address.
Trust without handing over your ID
Spam control comes from a web of trust, not from documents.
Anonymous
Every new persona. Read everything, use groups and messages, post a few times a day.
Vouched
Someone the network trusts vouched for you. Normal posting, images and files.
Verified planned
Prove you control a domain and post as you@yourdomain.com — or, if you'd rather be known, verify your identity with a third party that never shares your documents with us. You choose what's shown.
For creators planned
Free for readers, always. Creators pay only when they earn.
Paid circles
Sell a subscription to an encrypted group. You keep your subscriber list; we never see the content. 8% + card fees, less than the usual 10%.
Verified handles
An email-style name nobody can impersonate — from your own domain, or from cairnnet.com.
Video channels
Long-form video hosted for a flat monthly fee that tracks storage and delivery, not a cut of everything you make.
Questions
What happens if I lose my backup file?
The persona is gone. There is no reset because there is no one who could reset it — that's the trade. The app downloads a backup when you create a persona and reminds you until you have one.
Can I talk to people on other relays?
Yes, and you don't have to think about it. Relays replicate each other's public content and forward encrypted deliveries. Your handle never contains a server name.
Who runs this?
Cairn is independently run, with no investors and no ad business. The protocol is designed so that anyone can run their own relay and join the mesh; the code and protocol documentation will be published as the project matures.
Is this a blockchain thing?
Only a little. A small chain records identity registrations and periodic hash roots of public content so tampering is detectable. There is no token, nothing to buy, and no content on the chain.
How do I report abuse?
Every post has a report action. Reports go to the relay operator, who can remove content and block personas; each removal is a signed, auditable record. Contact: abuse@cairnnet.com.