Virtual Public Square
Virtual Public Squares are digital spaces for open communication. Publishers establish identities, preferably on their own websites, and use those identities to attach verifiable provenance to content with cryptographic…
Consider an alternative
Virtual Public Square shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 3 years ago, and scores 28/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (<10 active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 3 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.0 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Virtual Public Square stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| did | >100 |
| did:psqr | #1 |
| identity | >100 |
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Virtual Public Square
From the official readme · v0.1.8Description
Virtual Public Squares are digital spaces for open communication. Publishers establish identities, preferably on their own websites, and use those identities to attach verifiable provenance to content with cryptographic signatures. The signed content is broadcast into one or more Virtual Public Squares. Once signed and broadcast, the content becomes public and portable.
The content, with provenance, may move from one Virtual Public Square to another, may be indexed and made searchable, and may be displayed to readers in feeds, curated lists, or search results. Every time a Virtual Public Square displays content, the publisher’s cryptographic signature is attached to that content and can be verified.
In the event that any Virtual Public Square blocks content from a publisher, that publisher remains free to broadcast that content to any other Virtual Public Square.
Similarly, publishers are free to set up their own Virtual Public Squares and ingest the content from existing Virtual Public Squares. In this fashion, Virtual Public Squares impose practical disincentives to censorship without infringing on the rights of speech or association of any of the participants.
The primary use of Virtual Public Square technology is to acquire content from specified publishers without third party interference. This will often appear in the format of a news feed. The first commercial use of Virtual Public Square data is to populate widgets on websites containing curated content from a set of publishers that seek to cross-promote each other to keep readers engaged and maximize audience attention.
Required PHP Extensions
The following PHP extensions are required to update and delete DIDs with an API call:
- json
- mbstring
- openssl
Frequently asked questions
What are Decentralized IDentities (DIDs)?
Decentalized IDentities are files that contain identifying information and public keys used to encrypt or sign tokens or content. Virtual Public Squares use the W3C Decentralized IDentity standard to attach provenance to content for distribution. Specifically, Virtual Public Squares use the did:psqr method. Further information on the standards is available at https://vpsqr.com
How do I create a did:psqr identity?
You can generate DID:PSQR docs using the NodeJS command “psqr” (https://www.npmjs.com/package/psqr). Install “psqr” with the command npm i -g psqr Then run psqr identity:create did:psqr:{domain}/author/{name} --name="Full Name" The identity and public keys are visible with this command psqr identity did:psqr:{domain}/author/{name} --all --verbose Save the didDoc section as a JSON file. Note that your private keys are stored in your home directory.
How do I upload an identity document?
Log in as an Admin and navigate to the user settings page. For each user that doesn’t have an identity document associated with them yet there should be an “Upload” button in the “DID” column. (“DID” means Decentralized IDentity.) Click the upload button and a modal dialog appears to select a file from your computer. Selection the appropriate json file and then click “Upload” in the modal. If there are any issues with the identity, like it is invalid or for a different person, a red alert section is displayed describing the issue. You can select another document and attempt it again.
Can Virtual Public Square Content be Deleted?
Virtual Public Squares support two levels of content deletion – soft and hard deletes. Soft deletes are requested, and hard deletes are strongly recommended, typically for legal reasons. Those operating Virtual Public Squares are expected to delete any copies of content in either delete list. The internet is forever, though, and it is not possible to ensure that every copy of a portable file has been deleted. Provenance travels with the content, and is thus also potentially preserved by someone, somewhere.
Changelog
0.1.8
- Added the ability to generate, upload and delete private keys
0.1.7
- Added JWK Factory to enable key creation
0.1.4
- Added the ability to store and retrieve private keys
0.1.3
- Added support for WordPress installs that are not in the root domain
0.1.2
- Update token format to {token: JWSstring}
- Add checks for required php extensions
- Add debug logs
0.1.1
- Add ability to update DIDs with PUT request and delete DIDs with DELETE
Screenshots
For developers
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Best Virtual Public Square alternatives
All did plugins →| Rank | Plugin | Active installs |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |
miniOrange Digital Identity Login
This plugin allows secure logins through digital identity, leveraging various digital…
|
<10 |
| 3 |
Signed Posts
Signed Posts allows authors to sign posts, assuring content integrity. Signature…
|
<10 |
FAQ
Virtual Public Square: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 15, 2026
Is Virtual Public Square free?
Yes. Virtual Public Square is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Virtual Public Square safe to use in 2026?
Virtual Public Square shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. Is rated 5/5 and was last updated 3 years ago, and scores 28/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Virtual Public Square?
Virtual Public Square is active on <10 WordPress websites and has been downloaded 1,577 times since it launched in March 2022. It was downloaded 42 times in the last 30 days.
Does Virtual Public Square work with WordPress 7.1?
Virtual Public Square is officially tested up to WordPress 6.0.17, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Virtual Public Square need?
Virtual Public Square requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Virtual Public Square last updated?
The latest version, 0.1.8, was released on June 2, 2023 (3 years ago).
Who makes Virtual Public Square?
Virtual Public Square is developed and maintained by psqr.
What are the best alternatives to Virtual Public Square?
The most popular alternatives to Virtual Public Square are miniOrange Digital Identity… (<10 installs) and Signed Posts (<10 installs).
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