Acknowledgement Protocol

A simple way for self-governing communities to make themselves visible and acknowledge one another without asking permission from a central registrar.

The protocol

A community is represented by its domain. It publishes an /ack.json file over HTTPS:

{
  "name": "Another Community",
  "acknowledges": [
    "third.community"
  ]
}

Every property other than acknowledges is a self-claim made by the publishing domain.

An acknowledgement means: “We acknowledge this domain as a participant representing itself.” It does not imply agreement, endorsement, alliance, or verification of the domain’s claims.

The graph

Following the acknowledged domains creates a public graph. Every map of that graph is viewed through a node and a set of chosen rules. There is no single authority that determines who belongs.

Why

To help voluntary alternatives become visible: self-reliant, self-governing communities and the relationships they freely establish with one another.