# WebV — an open protocol for independent systems

2026-10-30 · SPECIFICATION IN DEVELOPMENT

Independent addresses, verifiable content versions and voluntary interaction among people, nodes and services over available communication channels.

## A shared ecosystem, distinct roles

- **Vilnism:** A voluntary philosophy of freedom and responsibility. It is not a condition for accessing the protocol.
- **Foundation:** Stewards specifications, discussion and interoperability checks. It does not own the network or hold a general power to switch off other operators’ nodes.
- **WebV:** Open contracts for identity, addressing, content discovery and resource exchange.
- **TOS:** One implementation: policies, nodes, tasks, resources and result verification. Other compatible implementations can operate independently.
- **DeskOS:** An interface to the workspace: applications, files, AI and permissions. The protocol is not tied to one interface.
- **Civilization OS:** A long-term application of open coordination to organisations, communities and physical resources.

## How the protocol is designed to work

## Identity and versions

A service keeps a verifiable identity while each content version has its own hash. Updates are signed; lost, replaced and revoked keys require separate procedures. A key is not a person or a right to govern others.

## Directories that can be replaced

Home, the optional ID 0, search and bootstrap help participants find each other. They must not become permission authorities: direct addresses, independent directories and a choice of entry points are required.

## Available communication channels

Discovery is separate from delivery. Internet, LAN, supported mesh and radio links have different limits. Delay-tolerant delivery stores a packet until a route exists; offline access covers locally available data and permitted operations.

## Voluntary resources

A personal node, server or data centre may offer compute, storage or delivery with explicit consent and limits. Price, privacy, result verification and rental termination must be clear. Buying capacity does not buy political authority.

## Independence must be demonstrated

Critical mass means enough independent operators, replicas, routes, energy and local data. Registration counts do not demonstrate it. A network becomes autonomous within a tested scope when it can lose its initial site, bootstrap or provider and retain the required functions.

## Honest limits of autonomy

Without a channel there is no instant communication. Without a replica there is no available content. A key revocation may not yet have reached an isolated node; shared scarce resources cannot be spent twice. An ordinary HTTPS gateway retains its own DNS and hosting dependencies.

## Current status and next evidence

Constitutional principles, architecture and an implementation direction are published. An open global network, interchangeability of independent clients and all transport modes still require practical validation. This site is an information entry point, not a membership registry or network centre.

## How to participate

Read the specification, propose improvements, build independent implementations and test access after a directory or channel fails. Operators can prepare voluntary resource pilots. The forum is a separate development; this site does not accept registrations or resource contributions.

## Practical questions

### Must I adopt Vilnism or hold a token?

No. Protocol compatibility is not ideological membership. Basic access must not require a mandatory token; particular resources may have a price and their owner’s terms.

### Will every node store every publication?

No. Owners decide what to store and relay. Availability depends on permitted replicas, retention periods and payment or voluntary support. Independent publication does not impose a hosting obligation on someone else’s server.

### Can AI change the rules or replicate itself?

AI acts only within delegated authority. Genesis means permitted deployment and updates on authorised resources. Publishing a rule does not replace adoption by a community; consequential decisions require explanations and a path to appeal.

## Materials and versions

The September 2026 presentations are historical material from the early concept. The current protocol definition is described in the overview and constitutional corpus.

- [Vilnism / Canon](https://vilnism.org/constitution/)
- [WebV protocol](https://vilnism.org/web-v/)
- [WEB V Foundation](https://webv.foundation/)
- [TOS](https://tos.earth/)