Network School Acquires Farcaster, Rebrands as Network State Protocol and Introduces Social Smart Contracts
Current overview (not historical)
Network School, led by Balaji Srinivasan, has acquired Farcaster from Neynar and rebranded the platform as the Network State Protocol. Srinivasan announced that users must now sign a "social smart contract" to retain full functionality; those who opt out keep their keys, funds, followers and post history but are limited to read‑only access on the main app. The launch also included a sweeping account purge targeting "past posts," which sparked backlash from the user community. The move marks a significant shift toward a more controlled, contract‑driven social network model.
Written with AI from the reporting · updated 10/16/2026
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- 1Unclassified fact stationOct 15, 00:00recorded Oct 16, 05:44single source
Network School acquires Farcaster from Neynar
Read original source ↗ The BlockReplay this moment in the explorerEvidence & revisions · 1 source records
- Subject：
- Network School
- Action：
- acquired
- Object：
- Farcaster
- Occurred (fact side)：
- Oct 15, 00:00
- Published (valid side)：
- Oct 16, 05:41
- First seen (known side)：
- Oct 16, 05:44
Fact stationSingle source · one-sided claimCopy may have been revised later; time replay is bounded. Layer labels group reading only, not causation between layers.
- 2Unclassified fact stationOct 16, 00:00recorded Oct 16, 13:55single sourcerevised
Network School acquires Farcaster and implements bans
Read original source ↗ CointelegraphReplay this moment in the explorerEvidence & revisions · 1 source records
- Subject：
- Network School
- Action：
- acquired Farcaster from Neynar and rebranded it as Network State Protocol
- Object：
- Farcaster
- Occurred (fact side)：
- Oct 16, 00:00
- Published (valid side)：
- Oct 16, 13:16
- First seen (known side)：
- Oct 16, 13:55
Fact stationSingle source · one-sided claimRevisedCopy may have been revised later; time replay is bounded. Layer labels group reading only, not causation between layers.
Uncertainty marks flag where to check the sources; they are not proven causation.
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- CointelegraphRelated fact: single sourceSource report revisedBalaji Srinivasan's Network School rebrands Farcaster as Network State Protocol amid user bans
Report first recorded Oct 16, 13:55
Balaji Srinivasan's Network School acquired Farcaster from Neynar and rebranded it as the Network State Protocol. On the same day, several users reported their Farcaster accounts were restricted to "read-only" due to past posts violating new rules. Srinivasan stated these bans are part of his vision to turn the platform into the "Singapore of social media," a positive-sum community operating under a shared code of conduct, which includes instituting "law and order." The platform, which had 250,000 monthly active users in December 2025, will use a "social smart contract" where users opt-in to the rules, which classify violations as digital felonies, misdemeanors, or infractions, with penalties applied to past and new posts. Both humans and an open-weight AI model will review millions of posts to determine bans, with an appeals process available, and the system also promises rewards for "pro-social behavior."
Read original source ↗ - The BlockRelated fact: single sourceBalaji Srinivasan's Network School acquires Farcaster, mandates social smart contract for users
Report first recorded Oct 16, 05:44
Balaji Srinivasan's Network School acquired Farcaster from Neynar. Users are required to sign a "social smart contract" to retain full access; failure to sign results in read-only access.
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