Meet Gander
The Social Media You Want, Built for Canada
Fun, private, and ethical. We're changing the way social media is done around here, all without your data taking an unexpected trip to brokers down south.
Our Vision
Socials That'll
Make You Smile
A feed you control, privacy you can trust, and tools to spot trolls before they ruin your day. All hosted in Canada. We're building social media that doesn't make you want to throw your phone into a lake.
Your feed. Your rules.
Want to see what's happening in Calgary before Cleveland? Done. Prefer video and stories over text? No problem. A feed that puts content that matters to you front and centre.
Videos, stories and pins, oh my.
Prefer videos? Cool. Rather read? Also cool. Switch between classic posts and full-screen content with a tap, and save your mind from meltdown with algorithms that aren't designed to play with your dopamine.
Local content with context.
Found a cool local event? Great - here's what it sounds like, looks like, and where to find it. No more hopping between apps to piece together the basics. Because context shouldn't be a scavenger hunt.
Find your people.
Smart suggestions that don't require stalking. Find creators, communities, and conversations you'll love, based on what you're actually interested in - not who's hiding in your phone's contact list. Because good recommendations don't need to be creepy.
Bias-checks and troll-hunting, built-in.
See where your news comes from and who's behind it. Our built-in tools show you bias ratings, source credibility, and fact-check results - so you can decide what makes sense to you.
Data & Privacy
Standing on Guard for Thee
(and thy data)
Designed, built and owned in Canada
Supporting Canadian tech and Canadian jobs - no foreign owners or overseas interests. Just Canadians building better social.
Your data stays here, with us
In an uncertain digital world, location matters. With Gander, your data is hosted on Canadian servers and protected by Canadian laws.
Private really means private here
No tracking across the web. No surveillance. No selling your data. That's it - that's the privacy policy. Social media doesn't have to be creepy.
Early Access
Early Bird Gets the @username
Join us early to grab your username before someone else does, help shape our creator tools, and get first dibs on the beta. Plus, you'll get to say "I was here before it was cool" - and mean it.
Get Early Access
FAQ
Curious?
Glad to hear it
Browse our FAQs for the quick stuff, or email formation@gandersocial.ca for everything else (including media inquiries). We're real humans who actually respond - promise.
We're currently in the early development stage. There's no public app just yet—but we're building fast and transparently. If you sign up for early access, you'll be among the first to hear updates and may be invited to test features, give feedback, and help shape the future of the platform.
Beta testers get access to early features and prototypes and have a direct line to the team to offer input. You'll help us make Gander more useful, more ethical, and more fun.
Yes! Signing up now gives you priority access to username reservations once the system goes live. We'll notify early supporters before public registration opens.
At launch, we're focusing on short-form text posts, images, video, shared links, and contextual tagging.
We're exploring features that help people understand and interpret what they're seeing—not just react to it.
Gander is being built in Canada, hosted on Canadian servers, and architected to respect your privacy by default. No surveillance-based ads. No selling your data.
No dark patterns. Ever.
Gander is built on the AT Protocol, the same open, decentralized foundation used by Bluesky. This means you'll be able to connect with other compatible platforms—or choose a more curated, Canada-focused experience.
That's up to you.
In the early days, Gander will work alongside Bluesky—you'll need accounts on both to use the platform. This gives you access to a broader network while letting us apply our own Canada-focused algorithm to prioritize Canadian content and creators in your feed.
As our own network grows, you'll have the option to disconnect from Bluesky if you like, and switch to a Canada-only mode—which will show content exclusively from verified Canadian Gander accounts.
You can opt in or out of either experience at any time. It's your feed, your choice.
The name Gander is inspired by the town of Gander, Newfoundland—a place that opened its arms to stranded travelers after 9/11, offering shelter, food, and kindness in a moment of global uncertainty. That spirit of warmth, care, and community is at the heart of what we're building.
Gander stands for:
- Digital sovereignty — platforms run on our terms, on Canadian servers
- Healthy discourse — through thoughtful design, not algorithmic chaos
- Ethical tech — no surveillance ads, no dark patterns, no tricks
- Diverse perspectives — space for many voices, without enabling hate
We're designing Gander to be a platform built for people, not engagement metrics. A space to gather, not to divide.
Yes. We believe creators deserve better tools and fairer models. Future features will include monetization options, customizable profiles, and privacy-conscious tracking to help you grow without being gamified.
Yes. Gander will launch with a mobile app from day one. A responsive web app will complement the experience, and our goal is to provide a fast, intuitive, mobile-first experience across platforms.
Right now, Gander is being led by a small group of designers and technologists with deep roots in Canadian digital culture.
We're actively looking for collaborators, contributors, and aligned partners—especially those who care about ethical design and digital public space.
Parts of it, yes. We believe in transparency and community input. As we grow, we plan to open source core elements and support public participation in the platform's governance.
Absolutely. Reach out at formation@gandersocial.ca and we'd be happy to chat or send a media kit.
Absolutely.
We recognize the importance of digital sovereignty, especially for Indigenous communities. We're committed to helping First Nations set up and operate their own AT Protocol servers, while providing tools to use Gander in ways that align with their own governance models and values.
Yes.
The Gander UI will be fully bilingual in French and English at launch. We also believe language is key to inclusion and sovereignty. Over time, we plan to engage with Indigenous communities to explore integrating Indigenous languages into Gander's user interface—guided by community input, consent, and cultural respect.
Yes—accessibility is a core commitment. Gander will meet or exceed WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring the platform is usable by as many people as possible, including those using assistive technologies.