Conversation

Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared some difficult news, a few of our projects have come to a close after not meeting their funding goals. We know that’s never easy to hear. But we also want to take a moment to share what hasn’t changed – what is continuing, growing, and making a difference every day.

IFTAS is still here. Closing a few projects has allowed us to refocus our funding, and we are fully funded for a year at least. We’re still working, collaborating, researching, advocating, and supporting. The past year has made it clearer than ever that trust and safety infrastructure for the decentralised web isn’t optional – it’s essential.

Here’s what we’re still doing, and why it matters.

Independent moderators are the backbone of the social web, and too often they’re expected to do critical work with little support or recognition. Our Moderator Needs Assessment gathers real data on what moderators need – so that platforms, peers, and funders can respond with resources that actually help. It’s about building a foundation for lasting support, rooted in lived experience. Here’s the latest report.

We’re continuing to develop CARIAD, our tool for observing safety signals and behaviours across the federated web. CARIAD offers valuable insight into abuse trends, moderation challenges, and trust indicators – empowering moderators to respond proactively while respecting the values of decentralisation and autonomy. We also still publish our Do-Not-Interact domain denylist, representing domains reviewed and labelled by IFTAS.

The IFTAS Connect community remains active, supportive, and essential. It’s a place where moderators, admins, researchers, and advocates come together to share advice, resources, and strategies for keeping their communities safe and resilient. Soon, we plan to participate in a co-design effort to create standalone moderation tooling for the Fediverse. Whether you’re new to this work or deeply embedded, Connect is a space for connection and collective problem-solving. Request an account today.

IFTAS continues to represent the interests of decentralised platforms and independent communities in broader discussions about Internet governance, safety regulation, and funding. We provide evidence-informed responses to consultations, highlight the real-world impacts of policy decisions, and advocate for the empowerment, safeguarding, and inclusion of minority and underserved groups. We’re particularly focused on how online harm translates into offline consequences – and how to better bridge that gap in practice and policy.

The Social Web ISAC is still hard at work, supporting secure, coordinated responses to threats across decentralised networks. Whether it’s technical vulnerabilities, emerging abuse patterns, or cross-network incidents, the ISAC provides a space for timely information-sharing and trusted collaboration. Follow the alerts account.

We’re also continuing to build bridges with developers, researchers, standards organisations, and fellow non-profits working on digital safety. Our work depends on these relationships – on listening to each other, learning from each other, and pushing for collective solutions that scale with care.

We know the landscape isn’t always easy. Funding can be precarious. The problems are complex. But the need for safe, inclusive, and resilient online communities hasn’t gone away, and neither have we.

IFTAS is still here. Still advocating. Still researching. Still showing up for the people doing this work at the ground level. And we’re glad you’re here with us.

Want to get involved or support what we’re doing? Join the community at connect.iftas.org or get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.