<i>must run their own hardware with their own databases and so on</i><p>I have hardware in my pocket that is hundreds of times more powerful than the first web servers I every worked on.  There is no technological reason why that same hardware couldn&#x27;t be used.  I&#x27;d love to have a PAN based around my phone (which is way more local to me that much of the &quot;hardward with their own databases&quot; that I&#x27;ve ever worked on.  Federation to Facebook&#x2F;Google&#x2F;Instagram&#x2F;whatever the next big thing is would be amazing.  And the reason it hasn&#x27;t happened even though powerful hardware is everywhere isn&#x27;t due to lack of technology.