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Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

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Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#51

Post by vertex-four »

DarkWiiPlayer wrote: post #38
young_unixer wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I left Mastodon because the big "traditional"/sanctioned instances started banning other instances they didn't like, specifically Gab (instance full of right-wing people that allows basically anything that isn't illegal). I had high hopes for Mastodon but whatever, this whole social network thing isn't worth the trouble. Now HN and Youtube are the only websites I visit for entertainment.

I had a quick look at mastodon a while ago and saw a few more problems with the model, but I wasn't aware instances could block each other. Maybe some day there will be an even more decentralized alternative (Looking at you, indieweb) where it is up to the user whom they block. I'm also not a huge fan of how mastodon is an implementation, more than a protocol.

I, as a user, am still going to demand that I can join a community where of likeminded people and moderation so I don't have to deal with the overwhelming spam of the internet myself. That's the bit that a number of decentralisation projects don't get - I don't want to have messages by anyone on the whole internet forced into my view (because have you seen how much that sucks?). I want moderation if the day-to-day use of the tool involves coming across a largely random group of people - otherwise it's just a platform for harassment and spamming people with child porn, a la Matrix - and I don't want to perform that moderation 100% by myself.

Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#53

Post by jack1243star »

cjslep wrote: post #48
jack1243star wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole blocking situation turns me away from Mastodon. Short of maintaining my own instance, there's no way to be sure I can follow anyone I'd like to, or communicate with them. There's no way to find out from the outside if an instance is defederated.

Have you seen the "About" page on instances? It lists exactly what you want: what instances are defederated by the instance. Here's the page for the instance I reside in: https://mastodon.technology/about/more

Yes, I forgot about this feature (is this opt-in or default on by the instance owner?) This addresses my last point.

But admins can still choose to block instances in the future that I might have interest interacting with. It is like a gamble choosing an instance.

Making an instance is tedious, and once someone in charge finds out who you hangout with, your domain name gets blocked. Such is socializing.

Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#54

Post by est »

throwaway1997 wrote: post #13
numpad0 wrote: post #4

Could it be why mstdn.jp is shutting down? Official reason is lack of resource to handle anticipated legal requests but that sounded weird.

I was assuming it was due to the sheer volume of loli being posted on that instance. Most instances block / mute it for this reason.

So the real question is, if Mastodon was easily replicable as advertised, are all the contents mirrored to other instances?

Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#56

Post by AsyncAwait »

jack1243star wrote: post #30
numpad0 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wasn't that weeks-months after the initial in-rush? I think few instances crashed, born, transferred before devs split.

Yes, but I think the implementation of the block is what caused the schism (or simply isolation). It was sad, to have witnessed such a bright future unfold, interesting discussions on language, on tech, on culture. And then to have half of the world just cut off. The fediverse was the future...

You conveniently omit that mastodon.social operates from Germany and thus simply cannot legally federate with many of the Japanese instances.

Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#57

Post by jack1243star »

vertex-four wrote: post #51
DarkWiiPlayer wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a quick look at mastodon a while ago and saw a few more problems with the model, but I wasn't aware instances could block each other. Maybe some day there will be an even more decentralized alternative (Looking at you, indieweb) where it is up to the user whom they block. I'm also not a huge fan of how mastodon is an implementation, more than a protocol.

I, as a user, am still going to demand that I can join a community where of likeminded people and moderation so I don't have to deal with the overwhelming spam of the internet myself. That's the bit that a number of decentralisation projects don't get - I don't want to have messages by anyone on the whole internet forced into my view (because have you seen how much that sucks?). I want moderation if the day-to-day us…

Then what is the point of federation? You just described a centralized forum/microblogging server.

Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#58

Post by sneak »

austinheap wrote: post #23
throwawaysea wrote: post #15

What’s the point of Mastodon given the creators are against free speech and for censorship along ideological lines? I don’t see a remaining value proposition for end users.

No one controls Mastodon -- setup an instance and you're off to the races!

The idea of preemptive banning of federating with other instances is extremely common in Mastodon-land. This means that unilateral actions by admins, invisible to their userbase, restrict what their users can read, or who can read their users.

It would be fine if the users opted into this, but it happens silently and arbitrarily by admins, oftentimes based on speculation or gossip, not even real abuse. It’s all of the worst of tribalism, polarization, guilt by association, and preemptive censorship (regardless of whether or not admins are “in the right” by censoring messages between x and y flowing through their own machines).

It’s also not easy or reliable to migrate your account between instances without losing your followers, and none of the server implementations yet support virtual hosting, so you can’t migrate hosts while keeping your own domain/handle.

There are real problems there, and casually dismissing the major censorship issues in the ecosystem doesn’t begin to solve any of them.

Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#59

Post by numpad0 »

DarkWiiPlayer wrote: post #38
young_unixer wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I left Mastodon because the big "traditional"/sanctioned instances started banning other instances they didn't like, specifically Gab (instance full of right-wing people that allows basically anything that isn't illegal). I had high hopes for Mastodon but whatever, this whole social network thing isn't worth the trouble. Now HN and Youtube are the only websites I visit for entertainment.

I had a quick look at mastodon a while ago and saw a few more problems with the model, but I wasn't aware instances could block each other. Maybe some day there will be an even more decentralized alternative (Looking at you, indieweb) where it is up to the user whom they block. I'm also not a huge fan of how mastodon is an implementation, more than a protocol.

That was a feature added later, mostly to address instance operators' fear for police intervention for enabling access to Japanese content(they say loli but even Japanese in 30s to 40s are legit mistaken even in court as underage, so not much to do with age, IMO more of specific makeup style or lack thereof)

Re: Mastodon: Add end-to-end encryption API

#60

Post by jack1243star »

numpad0 wrote: post #59
DarkWiiPlayer wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a quick look at mastodon a while ago and saw a few more problems with the model, but I wasn't aware instances could block each other. Maybe some day there will be an even more decentralized alternative (Looking at you, indieweb) where it is up to the user whom they block. I'm also not a huge fan of how mastodon is an implementation, more than a protocol.

That was a feature added later, mostly to address instance operators' fear for police intervention for enabling access to Japanese content(they say loli but even Japanese in 30s to 40s are legit mistaken even in court as underage, so not much to do with age, IMO more of specific makeup style or lack thereof)

There's also pawoo.net, which was operated by Pixiv (switched hands).

Pawoo is the go-to instance for (lolicon) artists banned from Twitter, and despite being the largest Mastodon instance is blocked by almost all instances.

The fear came from some European laws forbidding under-aged illustrations (typing this makes me die inside), so instances serving pictures from Pawoo may get into trouble.

https://mastodon.social/@Gargron/2657448

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