There already are multiple blogging solutions which are part of the Fediverse.
ActivityPub, the network protocol behind the Fediverse can only be fully implemented by means of an active server component: Among other things, incoming messages delivered to inboxes have to be processed. Sometimes they need to be forwarded, and outgoing messages need to be signed.
Nevertheless I wanted to figure out, which parts of the ActivityPub protocol can be implemented in a purely static website, and how well other servers in the Fediverse interact with it. My goal was to attach this blog to the Fediverse. The blog is generated using the static site generator software Pelican.
Key point: this isn’t (just) about PGP or SMTP, it’s email as a whole system:
Even after we replace PGP, encrypted email will remain unsafe. Here’s why:
- If messages can be sent in plaintext, they will be sent in plaintext.
- Metadata is as important as content, and email leaks it.
- Every archived message will eventually leak.
- Every long term secret will eventually leak.
Every element I use for the basic structure of a HTML document, with explanations why.