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Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

blog.joinmastodon.org

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Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#121

Post by s7r »

In terms of "antithetical values", the machine learning project ml5js.org actually did something about this. They bound their open-source license to a Code of Conduct¹, which forbids the use of their ML software for (1) discriminating against marginalized communities, (2) building tools that disingenuously manipulate public opinion, (3) building tools of mass surveillance and prediction to repress the rights of people, and (4) building tools that control weapons, including tools that automate the deployment, operation, and targeting of weapons.

Reported violations of the Code of Conduct are sent to a Steering Committee, made up of members of the community, who determine if the reported project is in violation of the Code of Conduct. If so, the Committee takes steps to remedy the situation (e.g. realigning project with the Code of Conduct, or removing ml5.js from the project) — and if no resolution is found, the project falls out of compliance with the terms of the software license.

It's an interesting experiment.² Software is a tool to help us solve problems and reach desired outcomes. Licenses are also a tool to help us solve problems and reach desired outcomes. When desired outcomes exclude certain things (e.g. discrimination of marginalized communities, manipulation of public opinion, autonomous weapons, values antithetical to that of a community), it seems a Code of Conduct can also be a worthwhile tool to solve problems and support the outcomes that the community is working towards. (Of course, wisdom and governance are crucial and not to be taken for granted. Shout out DKP servers³ for showing some light there.)

¹ ml5.js Code of Conduct: https://github.com/ml5js/Code-of-Conduct/

² Analysis from KE Mitchell on ml5.js licensing: https://writing.kemitchell.com/2021/01/12/ml5js-Takes-a-Stan...

³ On Dragon Kill Points and governance systems in World of Warcraft: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=958945

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#122

Post by projektfu »

usui wrote: post #4

Does a history of enforcement help in cases like this? The article itself says that Truth Social is "antithetical" to Mastodon's values, but that there's nothing they can do about the usage of their software other than license violations. It sounds like they have a bias to enforce their license in this case. If Mastodon has a weak history of enforcing their license to other organizations, does it weaken the case? I'm…

It depends perhaps on whether it ends up in anti-SLAPP or something like that. But if, for example, you don't sue a hospital for showing your film to a group of children, but you do sue a school, the fact you didn't sue the hospital probably doesn't matter too much, even though your bias is against caretakers of healthy children as opposed to sick children.

Not a legal opinion, of course.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#123

Post by luke9112 »

CTDOCodebases wrote: post #99
throwaway420y wrote: post #75

I fail to see how a website that's not up yet is violating any licenses, can anyone tell me more about this ?

The article states it was made available to a small subset of people. I guess distribution is distribution even if it just handing a USB stick to a friend.

I've read the AGPL, and it says that it must be able to be distributed to every user of the software. Every person that uses Truth Social must be able to find the source code.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#124

Post by foxhop »

gambiting wrote: post #115
foxhop wrote: post #110

We will create many Distributed Permacomputers which will be long lasting, durable, with the right to repair and a right to free speech without being deplatformed. Rusulting Code will be public domain and easy to setup. It was never about the code, it was always about the data. To learn more or help, Please visit: https://www.unturf.com and https://youtu.be/BgBrSLUgLH4 We reject political deplatforming. We favor righ…

And....what exactly does this have to do with this situation? If your permacomputer hosts something that breaks the licence of the software used, I'd also hope it would be shut down, whatever it's hosting.

Saying you will shut down a permacomputer is like saying you will shut down the Internet.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#125

Post by wizzwizz4 »

ddaalluu1 wrote: post #3

I wondered how he could've developed a social network in such a short time frame. I wouldn't be surprised if that was true, given his track record l.

It's not that hard to develop a “social network”; it's basically just a web front-end to a database. The hard part is making it good, but if you have enough humans working behind the scenes, that can come later.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#126

Post by Miner49er »

option_greek wrote: post #104
cblconfederate wrote: post #81

On the other hand Trump's network might be coopted to contribute to mastodon's development, since they have apparently billions in funding. And it would be very ironic if this ends up boosting the decentralized web.

That's the shortsightedness part of it. They should have tried to get them license compliant and may be even negotiated with them to keep it compatible with Mastodon network. It would have not only helped both parties but also introduced Mastodon to more non tech users. Instead, it appears to be the typical knee-jerk reaction for woke points. So now Mastodon is liberal, left leaning and want to control what people di…

They are trying to get Truth Social to be compliant. That's the whole point.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#127

Post by nkozyra »

Consultant32452 wrote: post #112
nkozyra wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did they? One would assume if the "bad people" (the establishment, 'The Swamp') got so angry, there might be change in some way. If any of the criticism had gone beyond the level of "crooked Hillary" then I could buy this theory of Trump as expose. But it never did.

It's not like they would've complained if they'd gotten some of their policies advanced, but that was not the point. The point was that he said things like "kung flu" and it drove the bad people insane. Or "I can't call Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas any more because she's not an Indian."

I have a hard time believing that the entire point was to temporarily bother people. I mean literally every president does this just by virtue of American partisanship.

I think the goal was a transformative presidency that cemented Trump as one of the best presidents. But he just didn't have the aptitude to pull that off.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#129

Post by meragrin_ »

dmm wrote: post #58
the-dude wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no service.

People were able to access the service and create accounts. Those people are entitled to the sources. This would immediately go away if they just posted a tarball of the almost certainly unmodified sources. I guess nobody running this understands what's going on?

> This would immediately go away if they just posted a tarball of the almost certainly unmodified sources.

No it wouldn't. NOTHING short of shutting down would ever satisfy the people going after Trump.

Re: Trump’s new social media platform found using Mastodon code

#130

Post by monooso »

option_greek wrote: post #104
cblconfederate wrote: post #81

On the other hand Trump's network might be coopted to contribute to mastodon's development, since they have apparently billions in funding. And it would be very ironic if this ends up boosting the decentralized web.

That's the shortsightedness part of it. They should have tried to get them license compliant and may be even negotiated with them to keep it compatible with Mastodon network. It would have not only helped both parties but also introduced Mastodon to more non tech users. Instead, it appears to be the typical knee-jerk reaction for woke points. So now Mastodon is liberal, left leaning and want to control what people di…

> They should have tried to get them license compliant

That's precisely what Mastodon is trying to do. In fact, that's _all_ they're trying to do, as the article made clear.

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