Network School Takes Over Farcaster With New Posting Rules

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Balaji Srinivasan's Network School has taken over Farcaster from Neynar, bringing in a social smart contract that asks users to vote on new conduct rules to participate in the decentralized social network's main app.

The transfer includes the Farcaster app, protocol repositories and related products. Users who decline the "vote to stay" prompt keep only read‑only access, while those who vote give the Network School core team authority to update the rules via AI prompts and manual reviews.

The new rules classify violations as digital felonies, misdemeanors and infractions, targeting hate speech, threats, scams, repeated fights, stalking after block/mute, and AI impersonation, among other issues. An open‑weights AI model scans posts, with humans handling appeals for possible false positives.

Key points

• Network School completes acquisition of Farcaster from Neynar, covering app, protocol repos and related products.


• Users face a "vote to stay" prompt that separates full access from read‑only access.


• The social smart contract lets the core team update rules; enforcement uses AI and human moderation.


• New posting rules include digital felonies, misdemeanors and infractions such as hate speech, threats, scams, repeated fights, stalking, and AI impersonation.


• An appeals process is provided for potential false positives.


• Most Neynar team members will join Network School; co‑founder Rish Mukherji and others will move on.


• Network School plans token‑gated community events and aims to build a techno‑optimist "first Singapore of social media."

What the deal entails

Neynar is transferring the Farcaster app, protocol repositories and related products, according to co‑founder Rish Mukherji in a Farcaster post. The handoff follows Neynar's search for a new operator announced in August.

How the social smart contract works

The new Network Code says voting to stay authorizes the Network School Farcaster core team to update the rules. The rules are described as "basically AI prompts" applied by an open‑weights AI model to posts and accounts, with manual judgment calls reserved for the team.

Srinivasan said humans and AI have already reviewed millions of posts and removed repeat offenders identified through blocks and mutes. He acknowledged possible false positives and said an appeals process was available.

New posting rules and enforcement

The code divides violations into digital felonies, misdemeanors and infractions. Bannable conduct includes hate speech, threats, scams, repeatedly starting fights, stalking accounts after being blocked or muted, and repeatedly passing off AI writing as one's own. Starting or feeding fights and flooding feeds with low‑quality posts can trigger suspensions; spreading clear hoaxes or repeatedly hyping token prices can draw warnings.

Protocol vs. app separation

Farcaster's public client repository provides mobile and web code for developers building their own social apps, but excludes the Farcaster Wallet implementation. The new owner is changing the rules of its app only, not requiring every app built on the protocol to adopt the same code.

Team transition and future plans

Mukherji said most of the Neynar team would join Network School to continue building Farcaster, while he, Manan and other team members would move on. "Farcaster needs a different operating model for its next stage," he wrote.

Network School's stated mission is to turn internet communities into physical startup societies. Srinivasan said planned online and offline community events would be at least partly token‑gated to people who voted for the new social smart contract.

Why this matters

The acquisition shifts governance of a major decentralized social platform to a new operator that plans AI‑driven moderation and token‑based community control, setting a new model for how users can vote on platform rules.

What happens next

Users who vote in the "vote to stay" prompt will gain full app access and be eligible for token‑gated events planned by Network School. The team intends to roll out the AI moderation system and enforce the new posting rules moving forward.

Sources

• The Defiant

Read also: Balaji Srinivasan's Farcaster Takeover Brings Immediate Wave of Bans