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Conclusion In this study, we investigated the effects of defederation events on the activity levels and toxic posting behavior of accounts in the Fediverse. The results indicate that such events produce asymmetric effects on activity for affected accounts on blocked servers versus those on blocking servers with no increase in toxicity for any groups. The results also highlight the potential of decentralized social networks and their unique mechanisms, such as defederation, in providing communities with tools to manage content moderation and other aspects of online interactions. Future research could explore the causes or reasons behind defederation events, the long-term consequences of defederation, as well as the mechanisms by which defederation produces (asymmetric) effects. By continuing to study the Fediverse and its affor- dances, we can better understand how to foster healthy on- line communities and effective content moderation strategies in a decentralized environment.