clean bookface

Social networking. Before the advertising department moved in.

GitHub
Independent. Open source. Not affiliated with Facebook or Meta.The small print
A fictional summer afternoon by a lake, with bicycles and a picnic tableMore of this. Less scrolling.

Clean Bookface

Your friends. Your memories. Your rules.

Encrypted preview
Clean BookfacePinned project note · You choose what comes next

Remember when your feed was your friends?

A few photos. An ordinary Tuesday. Someone asking who’s around on Saturday. We liked that bit.

Clean Bookface gives your Facebook download a home you control. Keep your history private, share a memory with a friend, and read their posts in order.

No ads. No engagement ranking. No bot accounts.
Just the useful part of a social network, with an exit door.

Help me get startedGet it on GitHub

Try it with fictional memories first. This encrypted preview is still being tested. Host dependencies have unresolved security advisories, and independent human security, accessibility and usability reviews remain unfinished. Keep your real archive in its original backup for now.

A small but important detail: this is the project’s front door. Open the encrypted app with an invitation from your host. Never enter your Facebook password here.

Bring your memories

Private until you choose to share

For preview testing: use the sample archive from the beginner’s guide. These steps describe the intended move; do not delete your original memories or Facebook account based on this preview.

You don’t need to understand the files. And you don’t have to delete Facebook.

  1. Get a place to keep them

    A circle is a site run by you or someone you trust. Ask a friend for an invitation. Nobody hosts one yet? Set up a small circle together. If you already have an invitation, open the personal link your friend sent and follow its sign-up steps. Save your recovery kit privately. You do not need a GitHub account to join.

  2. Ask Facebook for your download

    In Facebook’s settings, find Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Export or download your information. Choose JSON, save every part, and keep an original backup. Menu names can vary.

    Facebook’s download instructions
  3. Open “My memories” in the app

    Select all the ZIP parts together, keep the tab open and check the import warnings. Your browser encrypts memories before saving them to your home. Nothing is shared until you choose.

  4. Share one thing with one friend

    Accept each other as friends and compare the identity check over a call. Pick a photo or post, review the copy, and choose who sees it. Importing a friend list never contacts anyone.

Taking a break from Facebook—or asking it to delete your account—is a separate, optional step. Check your saved copies first. Read the leaving guide.

This is what you’re getting

The working app

A familiar feed, private albums, comments, and an actual end to the page.

Working Clean Bookface app: blue navigation, a chronological feed, and private memories in the sidebar

Actual encrypted-app screenshot. All accounts and posts are fictional.

See it on a phone The working app on a phone, with a compact feed and navigation

A circle of your own

Free software. Your choice of host.

You don’t need a server each.

One person can host a circle for their friends. Everyone else joins with an invitation and a browser.

Someone you trust already hosts?

Ask them for an invitation. You need no terminal, hosting account or payment details to join.

Want to run your own?

Choose a supported server and a permanent address. The hosting guide covers installation, private invitations and a backup you can restore. Friends use the separately published browser app; they do not need to manage a server.

Set up an encrypted home

Hosting means looking after a bill, updates and backups. A small server can split that cost between friends. Compare practical options and the full cost breakdown. Permanent free hosting is not promised.

Before you settle in

Can I sign up on this website?

This page explains the project; it does not host member accounts or take uploads. Join a circle through a personal invitation, or follow the hosting guide to run one. There is no official public sign-up service.

Who can see my download?

The encrypted app opens memories in your browser. Your storage home gets encrypted copies, but still sees account names, connections and traffic. The app publisher remains trusted: someone who replaces its code can steal keys. Keep your originals and read the privacy guide.

Will it find all my Facebook friends?

No. Imported names are private records, not verified accounts. Exchange invitations or profile links with people you already know. Two people must accept a friendship before sharing. Compatible circles can connect when both hosts enable it.

Do I have to delete Facebook?

No. Downloading your information and importing it here do not delete anything at Facebook. You can keep it, deactivate it, or request deletion through Facebook’s own settings. Facebook’s deletion instructions explain that separate request.

How do you keep bots out?

Personal invitations, posting limits, reports and people willing to moderate. Bots, automated personas and scraping are against the rules. Accessibility tools are welcome. We do not collect identity documents or pretend software can perfectly prove someone is human.

Can I take my memories somewhere else?

Yes. Download your saved imports, bring them privately to another home, or close your account in My account. Friends and sharing permissions do not automatically move. Someone you shared with may have saved a copy; a screenshot cannot be recalled.

A small project. Room for you.

This should outlast the person who started it. Try the instructions, check a screen with your keyboard, test a made-up archive, or help someone recover a backup. You don’t have to write code to make it better.

Try the encrypted preview with made-up memories. Importing, verified sharing, comments, reactions, recovery and backups have automated end-to-end checks. Independent human security, accessibility and usability reviews are still open. Existing v0.1 installations are not encrypted or upgraded by this website update.

Find a small task · How to contribute · Read the test results

Still owner-maintained, with room for future maintainers. Shared responsibility has to be earned and agreed, not assumed. Use fictional examples in public reports; keep your archives and recovery codes private. How stewardship works.

You’re all caught up. That used to be a feature.