It seems like #ActivityPub was always supporting username changes when implemented correct.

It seems like #ActivityPub was always supporting username changes when implemented correct. @snarfed.org@bsky.brid.gy's Bridgy Fed perfectly renamed my account as I changed domains on @bsky.app@bsky.brid.gy.

Fediverse Data is not Deleted ...

@cmislek.me well, yes and no.

When people talk about username changes in the context of AT-Proto, they mean it that the two users on each side of the rename can be clearly identified as the same entity (through the magic of cryptographic keys).

In ActivityPub even if you can create a new account, there's no way to link it unambiguously to the previous one because in the protocol the URL of the user itself is the identifying element, not a separate piece of information like a public key.

Damn, I got bridged.

mariusor@metalhead.club might you be conflating username changes and account migrations?

Changing preferredUsername (or maybe it was name, I forget now) is pretty well supported if you're not Mastodon.

@julian possibly, but I was trying to answer to what I thought was Çağan's argument.

It feels to me like there was no confusion about ActivityPub being able to update a preferredUsername, name or any other property of an Actor outside of it's ID.

I was hoping he didn't confuse Mastodon for ActivityPub but maybe I'm wrong.