Key Insights:
- Vitalik Buterin currently uses Firefly, Lens, and Forecaster for socials, moving away from Centralized services.
- Filverse, unlike centralized tools, uses blockchain-inspired tech to store files on distributed networks, ensuring privacy and censorship resistance.
- Polymarket and Forecaster are among the fastest-growing decentralized social platforms.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently shared details about his bold moves to promote the adoption of decentralized applications.
Buterin revealed he has switched to Fileverse for documents and Signal as a primary messenger.
Vitalik Buterin Adopts Fileverse for Documents
In a post on X, Vitalik Buterin revealed to crypto community members his decision to push toward computing self-sovereignty this year.
The Ethereum co-founder said he has already begun making key changes, such as switching to Fileverse for documents since 2025. Fileverse is an open-source, encrypted, decentralized platform for collaborative docs. It is similar to Google Docs, but without central servers.
Fileverse uses blockchain-inspired tech to store files on distributed networks, ensuring privacy and censorship resistance. While centralized services like Google Drive can scan files or use them for AI training, Fileverse keeps data under user control.
In addition to Fileverse, Vitalik said he also ported to Signal as primary messenger, and installed Simplex and Session.
Moving on, Vitalik Buterin highlighted other key changes he has made since the beginning of 2026. This includes switching from Google Maps to OpenStreetMap (OSM) and the Organic Maps app.
Viltalik hailed Organic Maps as the best mobile app he has seen for OSM because it is open source and privacy-preserving.
The Ethereum co-founder further noted that he is now using Proton Mail instead of Gmail. However, he notes that the best decision is to ditch email for encrypted messengers altogether, as emails are inherently less secure.
Vitalik Buterin also referenced a previous post, where he talked about returning to decentralized social media.
He sees decentralized socials as better mass communication tools that surface the best information and help people find points of agreement. Also, Vitalik believes social tools should work quietly, without needing constant incentives.
The Ethereum co-founder noted that he has resumed using Firefly consistently this year to read and post on X. Vitalik also commended the Aave team for launching a decentralized social media platform, Lens.
Lens is a decentralized social network built on Ethereum that started with a heavy focus on infrastructure and experiments around tokens. Over time, it became clear that social tools need better everyday design.
Recognizing the limitation, Mask stepped in to guide Lens, shifting the focus away from speculation and toward usability.
These recent moves towards decentralized application adoption by Vitalik Buterin do not come as a surprise. He has always been vocal about decentralization and even commented on Coibase’s Base achieving Stage 1 and Stage 2 decentralization.
Key Innovators to Watch: Polymarket, Farcaster
In the decentralized space, Polymarker and Farcaster stand as two key innovators with potential.
Polymarket has solidified its position as the world’s largest prediction market platform. It allows users to bet on real-world outcomes across politics, culture, sports, crypto milestones, global events, and more.
In October 2025, Polymarket registered over $3 billion in monthly trading volume, marking its first time surpassing that threshold.
Farcaster, on the other hand, is a blockchain-based protocol, built on Optimism, designed for decentralized social networking. Farcaster began as a decentralized social network with a simple goal for users to own their social identity.
Over time, the platform evolved into a builder-focused execution, and founders handed it over to Neynar. This has further sparked discussions, especially after the recent comments from Vitalik Buterin.
In a recent update, Farcaster co-founder Dan Romero dismissed rumours that the platform is shutting down following the Naynar takeover. Rather, he noted that the project transitions into a new phase.
He states that the protocol is still running and will continue to work. Romero emphasized that there were 250,000 MAU in December and over 100,000 funded wallets.
Furthermore, he pointed out that Neynar plans to shift Farcaster in a more developer-focused direction.