DRIFT

Abstract

Most online communication today is inherently temporal and aspatial. Instant messaging (IM) services are structured around a timeline interface which prioritizes a linear succession of events and guides our attention towards the novel. In this way, the different textures of social life are lost in linear reduction. In this paper, we present DRIFT, a novel and open-source IM application framework, based on a different paradigm of communication that preserves temporality but organizes it around space. Instead of the timeline, our application grounds messaging in the map and its pins, offering users a tool that encourages spatio-temporal communication and the sharing of spatial features. Given increasing concerns about the safety and privacy of online user interaction, we integrate state-of-the art encryption as a core feature of our application. Firstly, to protect user messages and map pins, we implement end-to-end encryption with the Double Ratchet key management algorithm and the open standard Matrix protocol. Secondly, to maintain location privacy, we allow users to batch download map tilesets and machine learning models to perform operations such as search entirely on device, avoiding compromising API calls to cloud services. With these combined features, DRIFT aims to introduce a new model for online interaction that upends the short attention span imposed by the narrow timeline and replace it with a spatio-temporally rich and secure IM tool for both laymen and more vulnerable users such as journalists, human rights activists, and whistleblowers.