Why reactive moderation isn't going to cut it, aka, "The Sucker-punch Problem".
Imagine you invite your friendโlet's call him Markโto a club with you. It's open-door, which is cool, because you like when a lot of folx show up. Sure, it might get a little rowdy, but they have a bouncer, and you've never seen things getting out of hand.
So, you're busy dancing when a new guy walks in wearing a "I Hate Mark" shirt and promptly sucker-punches Mark. You didn't see it happen, but Mark is upset and tells the bouncer, who kicks the guy out.
A few minutes later, the same guy walks back in and sucker-punches Mark again. Same result. Some people in the club say they'll tell the bouncer if they see him come in again.
Mark wants to leave, but you tell him it's not that badโafter all, you've never been punched, and you didn't see Mark get punched, so maybe he's just being sensitive.
A different guy walks in wearing a "I Plan On Punching Mark" shirt. No one tells the bouncer, because they've never seen *this* guy punch Mark.
He sucker-punches Mark. At this point, Mark is pissed and yelling about being punched.
The club members talk about putting up a "No Punching Mark" sign, but the owner is worried it'll hurt his club's growth.
Another Mark in the club proposes they turn away anyone wearing an anti-Mark shirt or espousing anti-Mark rhetoric at the door, but this gets shot down for the same reason as the sign ideaโthen someone sucker-punches him.
By the end of the night, your friend Mark is beat to fuck and says he'll never come to this club again. In fact, he's going to tell anyone named Mark to stay clear of this place.
The next time you go to the club, half the folx there are wearing "I Kill Marks" shirts, but there aren't any Marks there, so it doesn't come up.
I've been sucker-punched every day, for the last three days in a row by some of the most vile hate-speech and imagery. The accounts are using open registration servers and signing up with variations on the username "heilhitler1488". I fully expect it'll continue as long as we have open registration servers.
And no, username pattern blocking alone won't fix this, it'll help a little, but mostly it'll just make them wear a different shirt while they sucker-punch us.
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The Snowy Owlbear โโ๏ธ๐จ๏ธ๐ณ๏ธโ๐
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •I kinda wanna pin this to my account, but I didn't write it.
Apologizing seems so hollow, but this just fucking sucks, and I'm sorry it keeps happening to you (and everyone else it happens to).
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AFK Robert Kingett
in reply to The Snowy Owlbear โโ๏ธ๐จ๏ธ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ • • •Andy is Frazzled (ze/they/she)
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Netscape Navigator
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •So, you’ve actually just supported an argument I made a while back — that the Fediverse needs AI. I first made this point during the major spam attack that hit the Fediverse last year.
Here’s why: if the goal is to grow the Fediverse, registration can’t be invitation-only. Right now, Fediverse software isn’t as user-friendly as mainstream platforms like Reddit, Twitter, or Facebook. Making it even more exclusive would only slow growth further, or even stop it internally.
I say this from experience. I remember how online forums tried to handle spam, bots, and trolls — by making registration harder. Some required manual review or moderator approval. That worked for a while, but it also made those communities less welcoming and more difficult to join. Over time, most forums faded away.
At the same time, keeping registration completely open invites bad actors, trolls, and spam. It’s a tough balance — too open, and the space gets toxic; too closed, and it stops growing. That’s exactly where AI could help: by automa
... Show more...So, youโve actually just supported an argument I made a while back โ that the Fediverse needs AI. I first made this point during the major spam attack that hit the Fediverse last year.
Hereโs why: if the goal is to grow the Fediverse, registration canโt be invitation-only. Right now, Fediverse software isnโt as user-friendly as mainstream platforms like Reddit, Twitter, or Facebook. Making it even more exclusive would only slow growth further, or even stop it internally.
I say this from experience. I remember how online forums tried to handle spam, bots, and trolls โ by making registration harder. Some required manual review or moderator approval. That worked for a while, but it also made those communities less welcoming and more difficult to join. Over time, most forums faded away.
At the same time, keeping registration completely open invites bad actors, trolls, and spam. Itโs a tough balance โ too open, and the space gets toxic; too closed, and it stops growing. Thatโs exactly where AI could help: by automatically handling spam, filtering bad behavior, and letting real users in without creating unnecessary barriers.
amd
in reply to Netscape Navigator • • •I think that many of us would take umbrage at: โthe goal is to grow the Fediverseโ.
If we make the Fediverse a great place with good protection for its users, it will likely grow despite the obstacle of having a human click โokโ on a new registration.
Growth shouldnโt be the goal. The goal should be making the Fediverse offer the protections its users need. If we canโt protect our users why bother.
@alice
datum (n=1)
in reply to Netscape Navigator • • •so in a subtoot @alice said
[edit for correctness] and in parallel you said:
... Show more...and, Netscape, I think you're not really doing the math well here. Alice has pointed out it takes them on average less than a minute to vet a new account application. It takes longer to write - but if a user can't be bothered to write a paragraph about themselves asking to join a server, are they really going to contribute to discussions? It is not gatekeeping. It is not onerous to have a
so in a subtoot @alice said
[edit for correctness] and in parallel you said:
and, Netscape, I think you're not really doing the math well here. Alice has pointed out it takes them on average less than a minute to vet a new account application. It takes longer to write - but if a user can't be bothered to write a paragraph about themselves asking to join a server, are they really going to contribute to discussions? It is not gatekeeping. It is not onerous to have applications take a day to approve.
More importantly, it is not "less welcoming" to have a policy of no bad actors. It is more welcoming.
The sign up friction is not a concern in this way, and in fact is likely positive as there are studies showing that paying even a nominal amount of money or energy for a thing makes a person value that thing much more, which implies much greater stickiness, if growth of actual community members is your goal.
(Growth of new signups who never post should not be your goal.)
So.
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Netscape Navigator
in reply to datum (n=1) • • •@datum
> so @alice said
>
> I should specify that I mean "moderated registration" not "invite-only" or "no signups" when I've been saying closed registration here.
I do not see where she made such a distinction in her OP โ unless she has since edited her post.
Anyone can make a well-worded comment and hide their true intentions when joining. Requiring a paragraph is as simple as going to ChatGPT, asking it to write a friendly introduction, and pasting it into the window. Ultimately, it will prove nothing and just add an extra step โ no more, no less.
I understand the frustration people have concerning bad-faith actors. I just do not believe her current solution will do anything other than add another step for people to join.
sotolf
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Raven667
in reply to datum (n=1) • • •David Gerard
in reply to Netscape Navigator • • •@NetscapeNavigator
> the Fediverse needs AI
gosh, i wonder what the key motivator of this post really is
fucking chatbot moderation, jesus fuck
sbszine
in reply to David Gerard • • •Szabรณ Em, Shrimp Borg
in reply to Netscape Navigator • • •@NetscapeNavigator
>Argument from "human nature"
>AI
Bruh. I wanna say something nice, but I can't. So, it's a blockin time. Use this as a reflection experience.
DB Schwein
Unknown parent • • •Sensitive content
@X00001
JFC, do a search for 1488 or Hitler and there are far too many straight up usernames that never should have made it through.
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Big Ben
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •The Snowy Owlbear โโ๏ธ๐จ๏ธ๐ณ๏ธโ๐
Unknown parent • • •embarrassed to admit that I don't know how to quote toot ๐ฃ
I'll figure it out, tho! I'm an Owlbear of moderate intelligence, how hard can it be?
Netscape Navigator
Unknown parent • • •A million users?
If that’s true, my single forum — which I once owned — had more users than the entire Fediverse, and so did many other forums.
The Fediverse has not yet grown beyond its infancy. I would be too quick to celebrate when individual sites have billions of users, and the combined network of the Fediverse has yet to mature.
A near century of human studies, along with decades of market research, has proven time and time again that when given a choice between ease of use and accessibility over nearly anything else, people will choose ease of use and accessibility — even over quality.
We know Microsoft Windows and Google Chrome are terrible for privacy and the common good, but people use them anyway, simply because they are easy to use and accessible. Likewise, most people have chosen to use Bluesky because of Mastodon’s current issues — its lack of ease of use and accessibility — while you suggest we ignore these issues and add further limitations.
If something is not easy and accessible, it will rema
... Show more...A million users?
If thatโs true, my single forum โ which I once owned โ had more users than the entire Fediverse, and so did many other forums.
The Fediverse has not yet grown beyond its infancy. I would be too quick to celebrate when individual sites have billions of users, and the combined network of the Fediverse has yet to mature.
A near century of human studies, along with decades of market research, has proven time and time again that when given a choice between ease of use and accessibility over nearly anything else, people will choose ease of use and accessibility โ even over quality.
We know Microsoft Windows and Google Chrome are terrible for privacy and the common good, but people use them anyway, simply because they are easy to use and accessible. Likewise, most people have chosen to use Bluesky because of Mastodonโs current issues โ its lack of ease of use and accessibility โ while you suggest we ignore these issues and add further limitations.
If something is not easy and accessible, it will remain niche. Your proposal would make the Fediverse even more niche than it already is.
๊ฑแดแดแดส สแดแด ษขแดแดแดส
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •"No one else is complaining, not sure why it is an issue"
Heard that. left
Mary
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Enshiitakified Toast ๐โ๐ซ๐
Unknown parent • • •Legit_Spaghetti
Unknown parent • • •@amd @NetscapeNavigator Goodhart's Law strikes again.
Growth should be seen as an indicator that we're doing something right, not as an end goal in and of itself. If the fediverse is a good place, people will want to be here; but if we optimize for growth, we will make this a worse, less inclusive, toxic dump.
I'm now firmly against open registrations.
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The Snowy Owlbear โโ๏ธ๐จ๏ธ๐ณ๏ธโ๐
Unknown parent • • •The Great Llama
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Even closing registration won't stop someone determined from faking their way through the process: it's a bit like a locked door. You know as well as I do how little of an impediment that is to someone determined, but the absolute least we should do is make them work for it.
I'd love it if these assholes chose me as their first stop, but all they ever get out of me is something to the effect of, "lol, eat shit troll" (I think this is actually a quote from my last interaction with one) and a report - usually I check the server to see if it's worth blocking as well.
The Great Llama
in reply to The Great Llama • • •I wonder how much effect closed registration might have on sign ups. I *might* not have chosen kolektiva if it hadn't been open when I singed up, but it's hard to be sure. It definitely hurts the "dipping a toe" user, some of whom will discover they want to stay. But right now we're hurting people who definitely want to stay, apart from the harassment problem.
Online moderation is definitely a conundrum and always has been. I think we can all agree that the Facebook attempt to attach real names to everyone was a **miserable** failure at improving discourse.
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The Great Llama
in reply to The Great Llama • • •Anyway, I'm rambling, but the pizza I ordered is here, so I'll end it. ๐
Mostly, I think you're right. Closed registration across the platform is definitely worth a try.
Mary
Unknown parent • • •BewilderedKat
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •๐ซ
#OpenRegistrationHurts
Burning Joint USA
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Mx Verda
in reply to Burning Joint USA • • •Like "fill out your bio, even briefly" and "add a tag or link" and "pick a non-default profile image" etc.
SinMisterios
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Netscape Navigator
Unknown parent • • •@datum
She may have said that in a comment to someone else, because if I search for this in the whole thread:
> I should specify that I mean "moderated registration" not "invite-only" or "no signups" when I've been saying closed registration here.
The only place I see it is in your post and mine. ๐คท
Or, she edited it after she blocked me. Which is unfortunate, since I felt my comments were respectful. But not everyone likes someone who disagrees. A sign of the times, I presume.
B_Bird
Unknown parent • • •@grimacing
Moderation starts with the Applicant's username at registration, effective code will stop most trolls before they can even get a foot in door.
Neil
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Faithful Saber-tooth Tiger
Unknown parent • • •As someone who is neurodivergent having to write a sentence about myself/what I'm looking for would be a massive impediment to making an account and would make me feel excluded and further unable to be a part of a community.
The comments @grimacing made about time/reputation limits on what actions are available to new accounts would be far more effective without being exclusionary.
FediThing
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •"Mark wants to leave, but you tell him it's not that badโafter all, you've never been punched, and you didn't see Mark get punched, so maybe he's just being sensitive."
This attitude is way too common ๐
chuckfinley
Unknown parent • • •Longspeak
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Shykitty
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Longspeak
Unknown parent • • •Next time I'm on Cap Hill, coffee's on me.
The other stuff... I have been trying to hone awareness, and will continue to do so. So much of what I see/hear/think has been wrapped in my privilege for so long. I'm aware of it now, but it still fools me sometimes.
I'll listen more, too. I think I already do, but I can always do more.
Faithful Saber-tooth Tiger
Unknown parent • • •"but in the meantime, we do have something that can be exclusionary to people who are neurodivergent. Like it can be turned on with a few clicks."
@grimacing
Jinna
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Toni Aittoniemi
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •ใฝ๏ธษชษขแดแดส
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Linda Sgoluppi Artist
Unknown parent • • •Furbland's Very Cool Mastodon™ reshared this.
Chuck
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Jennifer C J Radtke
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •I can understand why people would want open registrations - but I think it would also be fair to say that fedi software just doesn't have the moderation tooling to support that right now.
I reported two replies to you yesterday - 12 hours apart, both undeniably awful / illegal, using the same image and wording. It looks a lot like an automated script. If it takes that little effort then no wonder we have a harassment problem. I'm sorry you're on the receiving end of it.
B_Bird
in reply to Linda Sgoluppi Artist • • •FYI: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealioniโฆ
Sealioning - Wikipedia
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Dawid Wiktor
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Open registration is not the problem. Even if vetting process will be involved, trolls and other hostile actors still have many options to get inside and start making damage.
Reactive moderation is not enough and I absolutely agree with you on this. It needs to be proactive and act quickly. For this reason, it's good idea to have some automation tools in use to detect fake accounts and trolls, and then act quickly to take proper action.
Making fediverse less accessible by restricting registrations would make it less appealing to the people. It's in human nature that people want to have solutions that are simple and easy to use, which also includes registration process.
The whole problem surely needs to be addressed, but limiting access and making registration process to be more complicated and less user-friendly is not the best idea.
webhat๐#39c3
Unknown parent • • •@alexadeswift in the Netherlands on the other hand 14 is the number of the favourite footballer from the 60s/70s (There was a documentary on Cruyff, Nummer 14 Johan Cruyff) And the Netherlands won the UEFA Euros in 1988.
So when NL national footbal games are celebrated, for whatever reason, the number 14 and 88 are stuck to everything
โ๏ธSnowyIn๐จ๐ฆโ๏ธ
Unknown parent • • •@maryoh
I screenshot Nazi-type accounts, then send out an alert post and request help reporting...often that helps.
Shykitty
Unknown parent • • •Lux
Unknown parent • • •Sylvain
in reply to Netscape Navigator • • •@NetscapeNavigator
Don't you see that Nazis too want ease of use? Add a little friction to the sign-up process and you'll reduce their numbers significantly.
That's what closed registration and sign-up moderation offers. So they don't come here.
People who need to be safer online, NDs, BIPOC, LGBT people, will gladly suffer the higher cost of entry if they can be safe from bad actors and threats.
The average Joes who don't have the patience for a sign-up process that's a little abrasive, they are probably safe on Twitter/Bluesky/whatever, they don't NEED a safer place.
Would it be great to have a billion people on the Fediverse? Probably! Do we need it? Absolutely not! Do we want it? Yes, but not at any cost.
@alice
Martin Seeger
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •I once was working with a friend on how to design a social network and from that discussion resulted Martin's Third Law:
If anything permits the harassment of people, that will become its dominant use case.
This is valid practically for all tech. You could already observe some shit in the UseNet newsgroups in the early 90s.
If you design social networks, you have to do adversial thinking: if someone wants to harm someone else, how can that person use the technology to do that. It would be useful to do wargaming like exercises to learn how resilient your product is.
Commercial social media does this, but only so far that they look how someone could use the technology to hurt them.
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Nik
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •First, what happened to you is terrible, and should not have happened. That's obvious, and should go without saying.
But I don't think jumping to the conclusion that the only fix is to close registration is correct.
There are many other things that can also be done to provide a better experience for people.
Nik
in reply to Nik • • •Pachli 2.10.0 released
PachliNik
in reply to Nik • • •And if it wouldn't, I am extremely interested in learning more about what happened -- if you're comfortable talking about it, and providing examples -- to extend and improve these features to provide a better experience.
Just yesterday I was discussing extending this to support additional signals. For example, blocking interactions with accounts on servers that allow open registration, if that's what you -- as the user -- want.
Nik
in reply to Nik • • •If you do want to discuss this further, and help drive client changes to improve things, my DMs are open, and we can find a time to chat.
And if you'd rather not, I understand that too.
mathew
in reply to Nik • • •Willow, Venus Pirate ๐ณ๏ธโโง๏ธ
in reply to Netscape Navigator • • •AFK Robert Kingett
in reply to Willow, Venus Pirate ๐ณ๏ธโโง๏ธ • • •Kat (post-Hallowe'en edition)
in reply to AFK Robert Kingett • • •@WeirdWriter All the above.
I don't want to be where the masses are, because that's consistently uncomfortable for me. I like it here because they don't come here.
@Willow @NetscapeNavigator @alice
Nick
Unknown parent • • •I didn't even know about that option. And it works in @trunksapp
Doubt if I'll use it much but handy to know about.
write18
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Furbland's Very Cool Mastodonโข
in reply to Netscape Navigator • • •Dawid Wiktor
Unknown parent • • •@OvertonDoors @cocaine_owlbear Well, there are some groups that try to launch targeted attacks to make the whole fediverse to be less friendly and to make people to move away from it. Recently, we identified such attempts and prevented it.
It would be good idea to have some channel for exchanging information about such groups, including domain names and mail servers they use to launch attacks. This would be helpful to jointly address issues regarding fediverse's safety.
Furbland's Very Cool Mastodonโข
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Furbland's Very Cool Mastodonโข
Unknown parent • • •๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ณๅผ ๆฎฟๆ๐จ๐ณ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ
Unknown parent • • •Sensitive content
@QueerMatters There are very few wholesome corners of the Fediverse. Any form of bigotry you can imagine comes from any corner of it.
I've had to get very trigger-happy on the mute/block button and I have filters in place to kill certain keywords and hashtags I'd *love* to be a part of, but they're filled to the brim with sinophobic assholes ... both "left" and "right".
Basically you learn to cope until you just get fed up.
AFK Robert Kingett
in reply to Kat (post-Hallowe'en edition) • • •why-mastodon-and-the-fediverse-are-doomed-to-fail
write.asjanet (she/her)
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •boosted, but on the other hand, i cant be arsed to write anything about myself nor a reason why i would *want* to join any server at all, nor am i connected enough to just say "i am" to be admitted to any of the cool servers... both together mean i have to see who lets me in. at least it hasnt been that bad so far. but my experience on here is just a speck of birdpoo compared to yours (maybe, idk)
and just like with xmpp: in-band registration was always highly discouraged to curb spam (well, as far as i remember, maybe that was also just another painful process), what is one to do *but* close registrations / heavily moderate them?
Jestbill
in reply to janet (she/her) • • •I think if it's that dangerous maybe I shouldn't go.
In the club example, the offender has a fixed, known identity; online that's a bad idea.
I dunno.
Dawid Wiktor
Unknown parent • • •Dawid Wiktor
Unknown parent • • •It's not hard, but for most people the moment the process is becoming more complex is like hitting the wall. I'm not saying that having vetting process is bad idea, personally I support it, but I know that for many people more complicated (for them) registration process makes them to resign from joining the fediverse.
I absolutely agree with you that open registration comes with issues and that there are many attacks against people, especially if instances are incapable of having proper moderation or having moderation at all.
B_Bird
Unknown parent • • •May I add a brief rules & regulations page with a tick-box to assert to abiding to said conditions for the privilege to access the site.
Add: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bans_on_โฆ
Bans on Nazi symbols - Wikipedia
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)bovaz
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •100% agree.
I don't have the knowledge/language to search for this properly, but is an open+moderated thing even feasible?
Like, open registration on a sort of sandboxed thing, moderation to "access" the whole network. Instances and users (already "moderated" ones) should be able to choose whether they want to deal with the sandboxed stuff.
All that, on top of what's already there, so an instance/users turns bad later, they can be blocked and banned and whatnot.
basically, have a pen where everyone can enter, an locked gates for the rest of the village.
Kat (post-Hallowe'en edition)
in reply to AFK Robert Kingett • • •The Snowy Owlbear โโ๏ธ๐จ๏ธ๐ณ๏ธโ๐
Unknown parent • • •@OvertonDoors @lindasgoluppiart Yeah, I agree that the "growth is all that matters" crowd is just... I mean, they're either dead wrong, or they're intentional bad actors.
I can actually site Bluesky as an example. I wasn't in the Beta, but I did hop in early on, and it was fun. It was all shitposting and Alf memes, along with legitimate advocacy. It wasn't perfect - far from it - but it was a kinda fun community.
Then Twitter imploded, and it turned into a cesspool of outrage farming, poorly disguised (and undisguised) Nazi accounts, trolls, and assholes. And the Bluesky mod team did... nothing, because they considered rampant growth a feature, not a bug.
(That's not fair; the mod team was overwhelmed, sometimes had their decisions reversed by the toolbags in charge, and did boot a lot of accounts, but they also let in known transphobes and other shitstreaks. Their performance was... about 60/40.)
๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ณๅผ ๆฎฟๆ๐จ๐ณ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ
in reply to Faithful Saber-tooth Tiger • • •๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ณๅผ ๆฎฟๆ๐จ๐ณ๐ฉ๐ช๐จ๐ฆ
Unknown parent • • •Sensitive content
@QueerMatters Oh, I solved it two ways: 1. I worked off my old Mantra from my Farcebook days: "Block early, block often", and 2. I moved from mastodon.online to mstdn.social. @stux is a nifty admin and things are much quieter under her baleful eye than they were under Garglemel's (sic) watch.
Thanks for the offer, though. I'd even fit in, being het-leaning bi. ;)
RichRARobi
Unknown parent • • •When I was at school a hundred or so years ago,
you never told a PREFECT. That was guarunteed to set them against you as well as the bullies, and possibly the teachers, too.
Dawid Wiktor
Unknown parent • • •RealGene โฃ๏ธ
Unknown parent • • •@cocaine_owlbear
Wow, thank you for this. I didn't realize Moshidon supported quoting, and I REALLY dislike mystery meat like long-presses, and then they call it "post about this" instead of "quote this".
And obligatory link to the Nazi Bar problem:
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Nazi_baโฆ
Nazi bar - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
WiktionaryBob Young
in reply to RealGene โฃ๏ธ • • •@RealGene @cocaine_owlbear
Thank you for the link to the Wikipedia article on the term, "Nazi bar." I hadn't heard the concept so clearly explained, but it's consistent with my sense of things in social media. It immediately made me think of the Paradox of Tolerance. It seems like a corollary, or an illustrative example.
Danielle Crawford
in reply to Bob Young • • •B_Bird
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •A reminder:
abc.net.au/news/2025-11-05/whaโฆ
apnews.com/article/denmark-socโฆ
Which social media apps will ban Australian users under-16?
Annabel Bowles (ABC News)Pau Amma
Unknown parent • • •@dawid
joriki
in reply to Linda Sgoluppi Artist • • •did someone say.....?
efhastings
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •The other side of the difficulty of assessing another party if the information is sparse is not knowing who may be scraping or logging your information with unfriendly motives, or just sloppiness in dealing with information privacy. (In case you had not guessed, part of my job is information privacy and compliance)
Emilio สฬกฬขฬกสฬ อออกสฬฒฬ สฬขฬกฬข
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •efhastings
Unknown parent • • •Christian Tietze
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •I'm trying to stitch together context here, and take away lessons for community moderation.
Invite-only would help keep the place safe and also some chain of accountability ๐ค
Do you maybe have another suggestion apart from invite-only registration?
Christian Tietze
Unknown parent • • •Prizmo
in reply to ๐ ฐ๐ ป๐ ธ๐ ฒ๐ ด (๐๐ฆ) • • •Prizmo
in reply to Prizmo • • •B_Bird
Unknown parent • • •@mathew @nikclayton
FYI: List of suicide crisis lines:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_โฆ
List of suicide crisis lines - Wikipedia
Contributors to Wikimedia projects (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.)DonatellaInCali
Unknown parent • • •@mathew @nikclayton
Alice, I had no idea you did that work. People like you have saved me quite a few times. You rock!!!
mathew
Unknown parent • • •