WatDabney

even if it’s not quite as open as the alternative social network Mastodon, another decentralized X rival.

Mastodon can’t be “another” decentralized X rival, since it’s the only one of the two that actually is decentralized. BlueSky just pretends to be.

That’s the correct choice.

Granted, China cannot be trusted. But China cannot be trusted in the same sense that a used car salesman cannot be trusted. The US, by contrast, cannot be trusted in the same sense that a rabid weasel cannot be trusted.

A government that can ban social media sites is going to base their choices of which ones to ban on their preferences - not yours.