Story

Hi HN,

I’m a 75-year-old former fishmonger from Japan, currently working on compensation claims for victims of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Witnessing social divisions and bureaucratic limitations firsthand, I realized we need a new way for people to express their will without being “disposable.”

To address this, I designed the Virtual Protest Protocol (VPP) ? an open-source framework for large-scale, 2D avatar-based digital demonstrations.

Key Features:

Beyond Yes/No: Adds an "Observe" option for the silent majority

Economic Sustainability: Funds global activism through U.S. commercial operations and avatar creator royalties

AI Moderation: LLMs maintain civil discourse in real-time

Privacy First: Minimal data retention ? only anonymous attributes, no personal IDs after the event

I shared this with the Open Technology Fund (OTF) and received positive feedback. Now, I’m looking for software engineers, designers, and OSS collaborators to help implement this as a robust project. I am not seeking personal gain; my goal is to leave this infrastructure for the next generation.

Links:

GitHub: https://github.com/voice-of-japan/Virtual-Protest-Protocol/b...

Project Site: https://voice-of-japan.net

Technical Notes:

Scalable 2D Rendering: 3?4 static frames per avatar, looped for movement

Cell-Based Grid System: Manages thousands of avatars efficiently, instantiates new cells as participation grows

Low Barrier to Entry: Accessible on low-spec smartphones and low-bandwidth environments

We are looking for collaborators with expertise in:

Backend/Real-Time Architecture: Node.js, Go, etc.

Frontend/Canvas Rendering: Handling thousands of avatars

AI Moderation / LLM Integration

OSS Governance & Project Management

If you’re interested, have technical advice, or want to join the build, please check the GitHub link and reach out. Your feedback and contribution can help make this infrastructure real and sustainable.