Building a search engine, to most normal and well adjusted people, seems totally normal and uncontroversial. In reality, building as:Public has caused me to be doxed, swatted, and harassed by extemist elements on the fediverse. Additionally, anybody who gives me a platform, or even work, is harassed by these same individuals.
as:Public will always be free and open source software under the GPL. The reference implementation, aspublic.org, will always provide a basic service to the community at no cost.
Currently, as:Public costs about $60/month to operate.
Despite the harassment and challenges, I remain committed to this project because a decentralized and open search engine is vital for the fediverse. It ensures that the community has access to essential information without the influence of censorship or extremism.Search is a fundamental feature that helps the fediverse compete with centralized platforms like Twitter. By supporting as:Public, you are not only helping to sustain an invaluable tool for discovery and connection, but you are also standing against the forces that seek to silence and control the flow of information.
Donations are accepted in the following cryptocurrencies, to prevent targeted harassment of payment providers.
Your donations will go directly towards maintaining and improving as:Public, allowing it to continue serving the community and fighting against extremism and censorship.