Mastodawn

I was unable to post on Instagram this morning because I have a link in my account to mas.to (my mastodon instance). No idea which one of these Meta is accusing mas.to of, but this is why you should not trust Meta or federate with anything they build. If they get to be the largest Mastodon server, then they can start dictating their regressive content moderation policies on the rest of the fediverse. I stand with my admin @trumpet and their decision to preemptively block any Meta instances.

[email protected]Dec 12, 2023

@camhunt Someone else reported this. Not sure what’s going on there!

Cam Hunt Dec 12, 2023

@trumpet I can’t imagine what Meta thinks happens on this instance. Maybe they’re just doing what Twitter tried by banning Mastodon instances (or perhaps just the ones that declined to meet with them!)

Arkadiusz Dec 13, 2023

Ehhh...

Chrystyne Novack Dec 13, 2023

@camhunt Good to know - I wonder if it would do the same complaint if I list my Mastodon account on my Facebook business page. I am seriously considering closing it down at the end of the year or rather leaving a post up saying I've 'moved' so my followers know where to find me....not like I am super confident that the FB algorithms will show it on any of my followers timelines but the signpost will remain.

Cam Hunt Dec 13, 2023

@chrystynenovack Truly the most frustrating part of Instagram and Facebook is not knowing if what you post will even be shown to people who follow you. It’s a brutal competition between you and all suggested content.

I have contemplated leaving, but I know there’s family and friends who will not move to Mastodon or Glass and I pretty much keep posting for them. I have no expectations of growth on either platform.

Bill Dodd Dec 13, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet Same think happened to me.

Cam Hunt Dec 13, 2023

@billdodd @trumpet Our admin said this was reported by another person as well. With Threads testing an ActivityPub integration, I doubt this is a coincidence.

kira :3 Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet what mark is really saying is, "don't go to any part of the internet I don't control"

Fluffy Kitty Cat Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet they're scared of us, so much so that even linking out is forbidden in case we might leave. they're trying to stamp us out with EEE and we must resist their bad faith attempts at federation

Fenneladon Privacyasaurus Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet The irony of Facebook blocking people for organized crime 🙄

holly Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt may i suggest trying to link to a page on your site (if you have one) that happens to link to mas.to

Androcat Dec 14, 2023

If someone has a list of instances that still haven't blocked Meta, we could potentially test if this is overt retaliation against defederation, or a blanket ban on links into fediverse.

Both would be pretty damning...

Martin Kostera Dec 14, 2023

If they get to be the largest Mastodon server

They don't use Mastodon software.

@Cam Hunt

Cam Hunt Dec 14, 2023

@martin You’re right. That technically should be “if they get to be the largest ActivityPub server” but you know what I mean.

stux⚡️Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet interesting.. 🤔

Martijn van Dijk Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet Yuck! I expected nothing and still find myself disappointed with the zuck.

@camhunt @trumpet I think you’re overstating the influence Meta would be able to have. Which isn’t to say that they shouldn’t be treated with great caution, of course.

But even if they become the largest fedi platform by numbers they won’t have any more sway over what any given mastodon or Pixelfed etc.. instance does that they currently have over each other. Fedi will be fine, it’s a fundamental part of its core design to be.

Cam Hunt Dec 14, 2023

@wiredfire @trumpet Wrong. Their influence is already being felt. Any other instance with the same content moderation policies would normally be defederated on account of transphobia. Threads has many blatant transphobic accounts, which many admins are ignoring in order to federate with Threads. If admins are willing to compromise their values for Meta, what then?

@camhunt @trumpet "If admins are willing to compromise their values for Meta, what then?"

Then users of those instances have the freedom to migrate to an instance that better aligns with their values, as has always been the case. In fact we have seen that happen several times in recent years with instances that have gone.. bad..!

Exit costs are minimal on mastodon with account migration.

Cam Hunt Dec 14, 2023

@wiredfire Yes, I'm aware. I've moved accounts before. It's easy to move followers but you lose all your posts.

I find it frustrating that in the face of federating with a known transphobic server your response is "well you can always move". In my opinion you can either join in asking better of our admins or you can stay out of my mentions, please and thank you.

Fabian【ファビアン】🏳️‍🌈Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt Not the first time this happens to mas.to and probably still the same reason that mast.to is marked as malicious content provider in some or another list.

Cam Hunt Dec 14, 2023

@fabiscafe This has previously happened on Twitter, yes, but not on Meta websites. I've had a link to mas.to since I started posting here on January 16th, 2023 without issue. This happening at the same time Meta is testing fediverse integration is one hell of a coincidence.

Cassandrich Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet This is exactly what I've been telling folks. No Threads is not going to lure away users any more than AOL did. Everybody knows they're a dinosaur ppl are only using because of social inertia. The threat is that they're going to leverage excitement of folks on fedi to get access to that audience to impose backwards moderation policies, policing, surveillance, etc. on the instances that are our homes.

Cam Hunt Dec 14, 2023

@dalias @trumpet Exactly. They have already got the largest Mastodon instance to make an exception to their "block instances that don't properly moderate transphobic content" rule. They are already asserting their influence on the fediverse and it has to be stopped now.

Cassandrich Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet What happens when instances want to federate with Threads but federating with Threads is conditional on banning sex workers?

(To be clear: I'm not even talking about banning sex work on/through the platform, just banning anyone who is or has been a sw.)

Bill Lamb Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet

I'm waiting on Pixelfed's iOS app to finish beta. Seems to be taking quite the long time.

GothPanda Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet you know... I'm curious if they didn't block Meta, and if Meta's automated system was able to see it's a mastodon instance, if that'd keep that from popping up. Something to research, maybe.

Jerry on Mastodon Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet
I wonder if it has to do with mas.to blocking Instagram and Threads? This would make it impossible for Instagram to confirm your link. So, it may not be because the link goes to Mastodon, but rather that the link goes to an unavailable location.

Cam Hunt Dec 14, 2023

@Jerry @trumpet I'm pretty sure mas.to has blocked Threads for quite some time, but this only started happening in the last two days. Also mas.to doesn't block the Instagram domain, where I saw this screenshot. Also Meta has many domains from which they can scrape data. Also other users have had posts from Facebook removed for containing links to mas.to, another domain which mas.to has not blocked.

@camhunt keeping the corp out is always a good move. It was, is and will always be the case.
And if if you see no reason for that now, you will 100% find out in the future.

ploum Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet @jgoerzen : if they are terrorized by open source and decentralization, is mastodon a terrorist organization ?

My take on the subject:
https://ploum.net/2023-06-23-how-to-kill-decentralised-networks.html

How to Kill a Decentralised Network (such as the Fediverse)

How to Kill a Decentralised Network (such as the Fediverse) par Ploum - Lionel Dricot.

@camhunt @trumpet Why they blocked you so fast? Spam? Well, in one of my IG accounts, Meta blocked my option of doing comments and tag friends due "suspicious spam" when I never did spam lol

Peter van Broekhoven Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet "You can't block me 'cause I’m gonna block you!”

catsynth / amanda c Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet This happened to me several weeks ago. Their "spam" automations are completely bullshit and do nothing to stop actual spam.

apophis Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet
terrorism (being a scary holdout)
organized crime (felony contempt of business model)
hate groups (hating meta)

JL Roberson Dec 14, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet In the last two weeks Facebook has been randomly marking any posts related to Mastodon as spam. This sounds sorta connected.

PorkrollPosadist Dec 15, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet You can do a lot running a social media site with only two general rules against "spam" and "terrorism."

kaffando Dec 15, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet
Thank you for this information. I'll be doing the same.
#ZuckOFFtheFEDIVERSE

dennisaurus Dec 15, 2023

@camhunt @trumpet Instagram closed my account a few months ago for an unspecified violation. I'm not bothering to create a new one.

@camhunt
Facebook: "THREADS IS THE ONLY FEDIVERSE INSTANCE"

Salva Jan 2, 2024

@camhunt Facebook deleted all my posts linking mas.to 😡