The Diagnostic Protocol: How to Write an Effective Platform Critique Report

By the Archaeobytology Foundry

A Platform Critique Report is not a product review. We are not interested in "user delight" or interface smoothness. In Archaeobytology, a critique is a forensic audit of power. It answers one fundamental question: Is this platform a tool for sovereignty, or a mechanism of enclosure?

This guide outlines the standard protocol for conducting these audits, moving from surface-level classification to deep structural analysis.

Phase 1: The Taxonomic Classification (The Mortality Check)

Before critiquing features, you must establish the artifact's relationship to time and death.

• Is it a Vivibyte? Most active platforms (Twitter/X, TikTok) are Vivibytes—artifacts that are currently alive but exist on vulnerable infrastructure facing existential threats. You must identify the specific threat level: Is it "Critical" due to unstable leadership (e.g., Twitter post-2022) or "High" due to regulatory threats (e.g., TikTok)?
• Is it an Umbrabyte in waiting? Look for "zombie" features. An artifact becomes an Umbrabyte when its "living" ecosystem is petrified, even if the files remain legible. Does the platform have a history of "murdering" features or communities, creating digital ghosts?

Phase 2: The Sovereignty Audit (The Core Analysis)

This is the heart of the report. You must evaluate the platform against the normative framework of The Three Pillars of Digital Sovereignty.

1. Pillar I: Declaration (The Identity Audit)

The principle of Declaration states that a user should be able to declare their identity without permission from an intermediary.

• The Domain Test: Does the user own their identity (e.g., user@customdomain.com), or do they rent it (platform.com/@user)? If the platform owns the namespace, the user has no Declaration.
• The Revocation Check: Analyze the Terms of Service. Can the platform unilaterally revoke the identity? If the identity is "leased" rather than owned, the platform fails this audit.

2. Pillar II: Connection (The Graph Audit)

The principle of Connection states that relationships should be direct and unmediated.

• The Portability Test: Can the user export their "social graph" (followers/friends) in a standard format? If the user leaves, does their network die? If the graph is locked to the platform, it is a mechanism of enclosure.
• The Interoperability Check: Is the platform a "walled garden" or does it use open protocols (like ActivityPub) that allow cross-platform communication?
• The Algorithm Test: Is discovery intentional (user-curated) or algorithmic (platform-mediated)? If an algorithm decides who sees the user's voice, the platform fails the Connection audit.

3. Pillar III: Ground (The Infrastructure Audit)

The principle of Ground states that users should own the infrastructure their digital life is built on.

• The Export Test: Download the user data archive. Is it usable (standard JSON/HTML/CSV) or obfuscated? Does it include metadata and relationships, or just raw content?
• The Migration Path: If the platform shuts down tomorrow (a "platform murder" event), how difficult is it to move the content to a new home?
• The Lock-in Factor: Does the platform use proprietary formats to prevent content from leaving?

Phase 3: The Economic & Structural Forensics

Dig beneath the interface to expose the business model and infrastructure using the "Sovereignty Stack" analysis.

1. The Economic Layer (Follow the Money)

• Revenue Source: Is the user the customer (subscription) or the product (ad-supported/surveillance)?
• Surveillance Capitalism Check: Does the business model require the extraction of behavioral data? If so, sovereignty is impossible by design.
• The Venture Capital Risk: Is the platform VC-funded? If so, calculate the "Exit Pressure." VC-funded platforms are high-risk for future "enshittification" as they are forced to maximize extraction to provide returns to investors.

2. The Sovereignty Stack Analysis

You must analyze the platform across the six layers of the Sovereignty Stack.

• Layer 1 (Physical): Who hosts the data? (AWS? Google Cloud?). Identify the risk of deplatforming at the infrastructure level.
• Layer 6 (Economic): Who processes the payments? Can the platform be demonetized by Visa/Mastercard (The WikiLeaks risk)? If the economic layer is vulnerable, the platform is not sovereign.

Phase 4: The Failure Mode Prediction

Apply the "Pre-Mortem" technique to predict how this platform will become an Umbrabyte.

1. The "Bus Factor" Analysis

Is the platform dependent on a "Heroic Founder"? If the CEO quits or is fired, does the vision collapse? Institutional resilience requires governance beyond a single individual.

2. The Acquisition Simulation

If this platform were bought by a competitor (e.g., the "Instagram acquisition" scenario), what protections exist for user data? Are there legal bylaws (like a non-profit structure) preventing data enclosure?

3. The Triage Forecast

If this platform announces a shutdown in 30 days, what is the Rescue Difficulty score (0-5)? Predict how much culture would be lost based on current export tools.

Phase 5: The "Anvil" Recommendation

A critique must conclude with action. Do not just diagnose the illness; prescribe the cure.

1. The Verdict

Assign a Sovereignty Score based on the audit.

• Level 1 (Serfdom): Total lock-in, surveillance model (e.g., Facebook).
• Level 3 (Tenant): Good export tools, but rented ground (e.g., Medium, Substack).
• Level 5 (Sovereign): User-owned, portable, open protocols (e.g., Self-hosted WordPress, Matrix).

2. User Guidance

• For current users: What is the "Exit Strategy"? (e.g., "Set up a custom domain immediately" or "Run a monthly export script").
• For potential users: Should they build here? (e.g., "Use for distribution, but do not use for storage").

3. The Third Way Alternative

Identify a specific "Third Way" alternative (a platform embodying the Three Pillars) that users should consider instead. (e.g., "Instead of Twitter, consider a Mastodon instance; instead of Notion, consider Obsidian").

Sample Scorecard Template