The federal response to TikTok is on the way. Signups opened this week for Loops, a short-form looping video app from Instagram alternative developer Pixelfed, reports TechCrunch.
Users who have signed up can post up to 60 seconds of video, according to developer Daniel Supernault on Mastodon. He added that the use of sounds and remixing others' videos, as well as pinned profile videos, are coming, and that users will be able to “curate” their comment sections. Videos can be categorized, but hashtags and mentions are not yet supported.
Creating an account is not instant as you have to wait for a verification email, which Supernault says can take some time. The iOS app will initially be available in TestFlight, Apple's program for testing unreleased apps, which requires a free developer account. Supernault says Loops will also have a “side-loadable” Android app.
Loops will rely on human moderators, which is what Supernault called for at Mastodon. Videos published on the site are moderated based on a trust score that each local user has, Supernault published. Videos uploaded by low-scoring people are held for moderation before publishing, while videos from “trusted users” are published immediately.
Loops' Fediverse integration is in the works but not live yet, and the platform has not yet been open sourced, according to an FAQ on the site. Users own their content, and Loops does not sell or provide videos to third-party advertisers or train AI on them, the FAQ says. Instead, the site relies on grants, sponsorships and donations for funding. You can view the data protection regulations here.