AchWoDuNov 24, 2022
Dan Gillmor

If you're planning to leave Twitter because a sociopath CEO makes you sick to your stomach and is wrecking the place, please think twice before heading to another centralized service where you risk the same problem at some point.

Decentralized is the best way forward.

Nov 23, 2022 at 3:54amMastodon Twitter Crossposter
Show threadSeris  Nov 23, 2022
@dangillmor another centralized service is just one billionaire buyout away from ending up like twitter. Well said!
Show threadShoq 🌿Nov 23, 2022
@admin @dangillmor And even if it isn't, it will just become another proprietary silo with a monolithic user experience, controlled by a single company with profit-centric priorities. This always results in stifled innovation, missed opportunities, and crushing mediocrity.
Show threadDr. Eric J. Fielding, PhDNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor You are preaching to the choir here.
Show threadAdamNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor but people are swearing that the new billionaire is, like, totally a good guy! 🙄
Show threadLynda Nov 23, 2022
@breakfastmtn @dangillmor
Even when I show them proof that he isn't!!!
Show threadAdamNov 23, 2022
@Lynda @dangillmor I don't know anything specific about Bardin but it's like, is he going to run it as a non-profit in the public interest? No? Hard pass. Although I do specifically agree with argument for decentralization too 🙂
Show threadLynda Nov 23, 2022

@dangillmor @breakfastmtn
So, I was thinking of the counter social guy, and I’m hearing some weird stuff about the Post guy.. specifically a tweet where he bragged about what he looks for in the people he decides to platform.

Maybe there’s a few of them…

Show threadShoq 🌿Nov 23, 2022
@dangillmor Thanks Dan. We were making so much progress at finally making decentralization a thing, and bang! The same forces that brought us this mess in the first place start selling the next big proprietary mess and the "just give me simple" crowd are rushing to its door. Color me concerned.
Show threadKansas GrantNov 23, 2022

@dangillmor That's exactly why I'm a big proponent of Mastodon: I was already sick of the tyranny of Twitter's system of jailing and shadow-banning, and then Musk marched in and acted like he owned the place.

Regardless of who the tyrant is there, I say "No thank you."

Show threadtom4okstateNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor Absolutely. It's the only path. The internet will always have its dark corners but a decentralized model ensures nothing like this, nothing this important being degraded into a cesspool almost overnight, can ever happen again.
Show threadChris PirilloNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor @mikemacapple ...I don't disagree, but it seems inevitable that the pendulum will swing back and/or stick with centralization. The masses (not pejorative) will follow the path of least resistance - and that, typically, has not been open. Moreover, there's a real risk - voiced by those far more intelligent than me on such matters - of co-opting. Google basically killed RSS; when Reader died, so many thought feeds did as well. "Social Media" took 'geek' out of the value prop.
Show threadTris HusseyNov 23, 2022
@mikemacapple @ChrisPirillo @dangillmor l only know a few people who use RSS readers anymore. Heck I stopped using Feedly years ago. So, yeah we'll have a time when open and decentralized will come back, but then someone will create an “easier Mastodon” and things will shift back. But…maybe easier Mastodon won’t be free and things might be marginally better.
Show threadDan GillmorNov 23, 2022
@ChrisPirillo @mikemacapple We have to work on changing the default assumptions, even as we work on preventing the co-option that Big Tech/Media will surely attempt. Google's betrayal of the web was profound, and earned endless mistrust from people who were paying attention.
Show threadRyanNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor Maybe. I mean, I like it, but there is a reason things consolidate. Nobody did email better than Google; all the little webmail providers dried up for the most part or eventually moved to cloud exchange. Social media is all about where your friends are. The decentralized nature means that you’ll have some users with great experiences and others with poor experiences. Maybe the moderation on your instance is non existent, or maybe it’s staffed by small-pond-syndrome sheriffs who get excited about wielding any kind of control over anyone for once in their lives. Maybe your instance is highly secure and privacy focused, or maybe it’s run by someone who goes to the Geek squad to learn how to install Outlook. These are all things you don’t necessarily know about an instance before you join, and so every user gets a crapshoot of an experience. Until a big player comes in. If mastodon really takes off, that’ll happen here. Oh sure, you wouldn’t HAVE to use the mastodon.google instance, but it would be safe and secure and well moderated by professionals instead of Nazis or 17 year old neckbeards and it’ll be up all the time and it’ll be fast and so everyone will move there anyhow.
Show threadTL IbsonNov 24, 2022

@bigstormpicture @dangillmor

I hate that this feels accurate.
Like democracy, decentralized social media would need constant vigilance. Engaged community. We aren't very good at that.

Show threadRyanNov 24, 2022
@TagTeamInt @dangillmor I mean I picked a security themed instance with some of the scariest (in a good way) technical professionals in the world running it, and it’s been around for years and years. And yet I still had some random moderator recently nuke a comment of mine about the idea of mastodon federation blocklisting because it disagreed with his own personal philosophy (it was later restored after appeal without explanation by another moderator). If the instance I’m on can’t figure this relatively easy stuff out about user experience and why people use social media to begin with, I have low hopes for mastodon in general.
Show threadTL IbsonNov 25, 2022

@bigstormpicture @dangillmor

That, in my mind, is a reason to drive the #Fediverse model. There can be an "instance" (of random foolery) but it can't corrupt or degrade the whole 'verse. There's opportunity for mods to learn from each other and, if the don't, it's a fairly easy migrate to a smarter place. (according to my limited understanding of how those works.)

Show threadKadinNov 23, 2022

@dangillmor Not wrong, but how many companies are out there doing "decentralized" stuff, that can afford to hire a bunch of Twitter engineers on short notice?

There are lots of engineers at FAANGs who would probably jump at the idea of a more decentralized Internet too, but the solid, living-wage jobs are in collecting data, analyzing data, and selling the data (in some fashion).

I don't know anyone who's gone to work at FB or AMZ because they're stoked about the *philosophy*.

Show threadDan GillmorNov 23, 2022

@kadin Automattic is hiring people for Tumblr.

Meanwhile I'm struggling to get ActivityPub to connect my wordpress.org blog to this site...

Show threadVEMNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor The future of the Internet https://solidproject.org/
The way it was meant to work.
Solid: Your data, your choice - Solid Project

Solid is an evolution of the web by its creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Solid realizes Tim's original vision for the Web as a medium for the secure, decentralized exchange of public and private data.

Solid Project
Show threadDan GillmorNov 23, 2022
@VEM Yes, and complicated!
Show threadjonnyNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor this is true! switching to a smaller instance is part of making this real :)
Show threadTony CurwenNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor Especially when you see this. …
“The Markup reported that some of the biggest online e-filing services—unbeknownst to millions of users—have been sharing sensitive user financial information with Meta.”
This included “detailed information like income, refund amounts, filing status, and even the amount of dependents’ college scholarships”
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/11/major-tax-filing-websites-secretly-share-income-data-with-meta/
Major tax-filing websites secretly share income data with Meta

Financial data was sent to Meta by TaxAct, H&R Block, and TaxSlayer.

Ars Technica
Show threadJessica Nov 23, 2022

@dangillmor

The amount of people I see upset and angry at the new ownership who are then also going to another centralised platform astonishes me.

They seem to think the issue is that Twitter was bought by a "bad billionaire", not that it was centralised and possible to be purchased at all.

I honestly think many of those complaining would very satisfied if a "good billionaire" came along to buy Twitter or create a Twitter alternative, not understanding there are no "good billionaires".

I've become very disappointed in some people over this. Sure, people can have issues with Mastodon, but to complain about Twitter's new ownership while proudly rejoicing at joining another centralised platform just makes me think they're awfully shortsighted.

Show threadColoradoPatNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor not very excellent of you Dan
Show threadjleebikerNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor Serious question. How does one ensure data privacy and security if each decentralized server operates by its own rules and there's no public oversight? My biggest concern right now is what happens if a server admin breaks privacy and trust and weaponizes or monetizes data?
Show threadMarcNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor Now if we could only boost decentralized Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube apps, we'd be golden!
Show threadKFClintonNov 23, 2022

@dangillmor I agree. But what I don't get is why so many have timelines filled with links to twitter.

I don't want to give that person or that site any traffic.

Screen shot tweets, don't do links.

Show threadAlberto ZamoraNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor buen argumento.
Show threadMichael Gisiger Nov 23, 2022
@dangillmor best != most convenient, so unfortunately, the masses will inevitably move on to the next 'big thing' they promise them.
Show threadPeta'rdoNov 23, 2022

@dangillmor

It's very true.

But be very careful, as Decentralisation is not exactly the same as Federation.

#nostr

Show threadIndependent WaveNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor it does take a little bit of getting used to, tho.
Show threadnicNov 23, 2022
@dangillmor Feels like you're preaching to the choir, but I'm in. :)
Show threadNick RaschkeNov 24, 2022
@dangillmor yep. That’s what I’m doing.
Show threadTL IbsonNov 24, 2022

@dangillmor

Tech has a history of socially challenged / sociopathic leaders who lean into controlled environments.
These tendencies have to b e resisted, or we end up with another massively powerful oligarchy. ie: today.
Decentralize = democratize.

#TwitterExodus #TwitterMigration
#Mastodon #Federation

Show threadcrowderNov 28, 2022
@dangillmor Isn’t it the point of decentralized structures that they’re harder to monetize?
Show threadDan GillmorNov 28, 2022
@crowder They may be, but the point I care most about is they can't be controlled by sociopath companies/CEOs or governments.