Shrini
GovTrack.usWe're now linking to legislators' Mastodon accounts from their pages on GovTrack.
The accounts were tracked down by @danielschuman and we're maintaining them in the legislator database at https://github.com/unitedstates/congress-legislators/.
GitHub - unitedstates/congress-legislators: Members of the United States Congress, 1789-Present, in YAML/JSON/CSV, as well as committees, presidents, and vice presidents.
Members of the United States Congress, 1789-Present, in YAML/JSON/CSV, as well as committees, presidents, and vice presidents. - unitedstates/congress-legislators
Fugue State Machine Moto@GovTrack @danielschuman y’all are awesome. Thank you!
Philip Ferenc Ashlock@GovTrack @danielschuman There's now an option for Mastodon accounts for the Executive branch in the new US Digital Registry, but I think we may still have a legal snag...
Mike Garrahan
Daniel Schuman@mgarraha @GovTrack @markwarner thanks for pointing out! I don’t think I’ve verified any members of the senate yet. I can’t tell if this is a RT account or real. Will DM
Giraffe Slava 🇺🇸🇺🇦@GovTrack oh thank you! This is much needed.
Brian Hawthorne@GovTrack @shawrd773 That’s a start but we really need them on their own instance in .gov
@bhawthorne @shawrd773 We don't have any control over that...
@GovTrack @shawrd773 I know you have no control over it, but we should all be pushing for it. Are you confirming with the representatives’ and senators’ offices that these are legitimate? If so, it would be worth mentioning to them in the process that a .gov instance would be a great idea.
@bhawthorne We (actually our colleague @danielschuman) is verifying each account, yes. Often it can be verified without talking to them if they've posted about it somewhere. The idea of a .gov instance is something we're very aware of but there are large technical, financial, and legal issues that aren't going to be moved forward at all by merely mentioning it to them --- it's a bigger topic than that.
Katma@bhawthorne @danielschuman @GovTrack
Trying to think of how I feel about a potential .gov instance. Huh.
Thank you so much for this very valuable resource!
Trying to think of how I feel about a potential .gov instance. Huh.
Thank you so much for this very valuable resource!
Mirko Adam@KatMA @bhawthorne @danielschuman @GovTrack Actually, Germany has a government-instance (social.bund.de). Many institutions, big and small, are already there, many are not.
Matt Stewart@bhawthorne @GovTrack @shawrd773
They won't spin one up. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, there are too many challenges with a gov instance. For example, any content moderation on a gov instance would be illegal. (Pesky Constitution)
They won't spin one up. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, there are too many challenges with a gov instance. For example, any content moderation on a gov instance would be illegal. (Pesky Constitution)
Pusher Of Pixels (old account)@jackscerebellum @bhawthorne @GovTrack @shawrd773
The content moderation question is interesting, but seems like it's just something 'new' and not insurmountable.
I really don't see how they *don't* spin one up eventually. We need 'official' sources that aren't dependent on the whims of fascist billionaires.
@pixelpusher220 @bhawthorne @GovTrack @shawrd773
Gov officials can get accounts on someone else's instance, just like they do on those other social media platforms. The rub is they can't spin up and run their own since that would require content moderation...which is govt regulation of speech... which is unconstitutional.
The only possible way (I think) for the govt to run their own instance legally is if they close membership to only govt. They can moderate themselves as long as they treat it as an official platform and not a free speech platform.
@jackscerebellum @bhawthorne @GovTrack @shawrd773
Sorry, yes their instances would only be for them. Just like email.
The .gov instance itself is the blue check verification, it's literally in the account domain as being the official domain.
Scout@GovTrack Thank you!
Lesley Carhart 
@GovTrack thanks so much for doing this!!!
Noah Carver Has Moved@GovTrack This is excellent.
@Lee_in_Iowa@GovTrack I’m sure not seeing this. Tried your main link and searched several Senators—and I don’t even see their FB or twitter accounts. Can’t see a thing to search on your programming page.
Where is this again??
@Lee_in_Iowa Here's the page the screenshot is from. Most legislators don't have Mastodon links and we don't link to any other social media platforms. https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/donald_beyer/412657
ushi@GovTrack now will you also link TRUtH social accounts
@Realushi We don't link to any for-profit social media sites, and certainly not any owned by a current political candidate.
Tim Chambers@GovTrack Appreciate the work.
As a question on Don Beyer specifically, where is the verification happening? (not showing a verified link and I don't see a reference to any Mastodon account on https://beyer.house.gov)
@pixelpusher220 @danielschuman can you answer this ^ q?
@GovTrack @pixelpusher220 Yes, I am personally verifying each account, and the verification method is noted in the spreadsheet.
In most instances I receive an email from an official congressional account that terminates mail.house.gov. One or two linked to their mastodon accounts from twitter, but that is rare.
@GovTrack @pixelpusher220 For Rep Beyer, I’ve been DMing with his comms staffer who let me know he was on Mastodon. Having interacted with him IRL, I was able to confirm.
@GovTrack @pixelpusher220 obviously, this approach does not scale, which is why I’m talking to congress about establishing their own mastodon instance. That way member presence there would be self-verification.
Yep, that's what I've been thinking as well. Same as how you know email is official...it's in the name itself.
Andrew Wooldridge 🌱@GovTrack that’s badass
Tom Resing@GovTrack guess none of mine have them yet. Your example account works for me. Great job! https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/donald_beyer/412657