Chris Trottier
/1 ?
I don't want to talk about this, but I must.
UFoI has been floating around, purportedly to govern a shared code of conduct and ethics for instances.
From a cursory glance at the ethics they claim to represent, it looks good.
However, the particular instance that's captaining this whole thing is well known on Fediblock.
Many folks -- for good reason -- believe this is an attempt to compromise the effectiveness and integrity of Fediblock.
To a certain extent, it already has. ?
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
@atomicpoet I agree, Mastodon 4 got the option not to get media. We need to discuss more around server/account moderation tool.
Chris Trottier
3/ To be completely, honestly blunt, moderation tools on the Fediverse suck.
Blocking is essentially a hammer, and not all moderation should require a hammer. Sometimes you need a screwdriver.
I've personally requested that Mastodon and other Fediverse software start getting serious about pro-active moderation.
I understand a whole lot of people don't like more moderation tools, but more moderation tools means less of a need to always block.
Chris Trottier
/2 Now let's back up regarding Fediblock for a moment.
Fediblock *should* be the nuclear option for moderation. But recently, more people are opting for the nuclear option by default.
Fediblock is not a "super block".
If you have a personal beef with an instance admin, or don't like members of an instance, you can block them yourself.
Crowding Fediblock with personal vendettas causes admins to work that much harder to participate on Fediblock.
But I should acknowledge a further problem...
藤井太洋, Taiyo Fujii
@atomicpoet you may know that the Japanese largest fediverse Pawoo had been blocked by mastodon.social because thousands accounts posted CW illustration in a day in 2017. Now many server have federation with Pawoo.net with not to get media.
Chris Trottier
@taiyo Agreed!
Chris Trottier
10/ The real problem with the Fediverse, though, is that we need better moderation tools.
I hope devs are listening.
I've brought several of my concerns up -- the current options for moderation is incredibly taxing on admins.
We thus end up blocking when we shouldn't have to.
If we want the power of federaton to remain intact, please give us (and users) more tools to make our instances safe.
This is a cry for help!
Chris Trottier
9/ What am I getting at here?
1. Fediblock should be done on a case by case basis, with investigation
2. Don't do Fediblock just because a hashtag tells you to
3. Allow admins and instances the allowance to change if they've indicated good faith
4. Reserve Fediblock for your own "worse case" scenario
5. Don't give up your network effect, and thus diminish the power of Fediblock
Chris Trottier
8/ Here's what I genuinely worry about regarding Fediblock.
More Fediblock means a diminishing network effect.
A diminishing network effect means someone else -- quite often the *wrong* party -- gets more power over it.
Do you want to surrender the network effect to someone else? Or do you, as an admin, want a say in federation?
Because once the likes of Google claim the bulk of the network effect, then *they* decide who is on Fediblock.
Spoiler: they already do this with email!
Chris Trottier
7/ We also need to consider that Fediblock has diminishing returns if we keep doing it again and again.
Right now, it's effective because presumably, if an instance winds up on Fediblock, every instance on the Fediverse has decided they did something so horrible, they deserve total and utter dissociation.
Which is why when Gab found itself on Fediblock, it was effective. Even mobile apps blocked Gab.
But if you block every divergent instance, you're quarantining yourself.
Chris Trottier
6/ Considering Fediblocks, we must acknowledge there's a whole lot of grey, and ethics are not as binary as they seem.
For example, I eat meat.
Should I be put on Fediblock because many vegans are offended by my lifestyle choices?
Maybe I should. I don't blame them. I'm doing something that fundamentally goes against their values, and I don't blame them for blocking me.
But are their values your values?
Maybe, maybe not.
Chris Trottier
5/ Now a few folks have said, "Everyone who was part of UFoI deserves their Fediblock because they didn't do their due diligence!"
Mistakes happen.
But guess what? People, including admins, can learn from their mistakes.
If admins have made a U-turn, give them the good grace to allow them that.
Otherwise, when you make a mistake -- and you will -- grace will not be extended towards you.
Believe me.
Chris Trottier
4/ Unfortunately, a lot of instances signed up for UFoI because, from a cursory glance, it looks like they have good intentions.
But because they're now associated with UFoI -- even if briefly -- they are now indiscriminately on Fediblock.
This is guilt by association.
And unfortunately, too many instance admins block everything that winds up on Fediblock without investigation.
This isn't being proactive, it's being reactive and lazy.
Sexy Moon
Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:
joyo
@atomicpoet I thought it was a mastodon API that pleroma was supporting. I could be wrong, I’ve never admin a mastodon instance and never will.
Chris Trottier
@JoYo Oddly, I run a Pleroma instance and wasn't aware of this. Would have saved me lots of headaches. Do you know if this has been implemented by Mastodon as well?
joyo
@atomicpoet https://docs-develop.pleroma.social/backend/configuration/mrf/
I couldn’t find the mastodon docs on this so pleroma will do. These rules can be published so anyone can copy them if they trust the moderation.
joyo
@atomicpoet we need to retire #fediblock, it has outlived its usefulness.
MRF is good enough, we don’t need anymore public grandstanding over blocks.
Chris Trottier
@JoYo Sorry, what is MRF?
Sexy Moon
Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:
joyo
@tk @atomicpoet @Moon swap with akkoma, lately pleroma has just been cherry picked merges from akkoma :3
Sexy Moon
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