Emelia 👸🏻Oct 18, 2023

I've _many_ thoughts on this post, but the bullet points:

- blocklists are just a blunt tool and not the pinnacle of trust & safety or community management.

- we need more data to help users ultimately curate their experiences, not necessarily an administrator curating their experiences.

- we also need mechanisms to appeal and challenge that data & have pathways to redemption.

RE: https://ubiqueros.com/notes/9kzk4cqq6r

Ro (@Are0h)

The fedi doesn't belong to you. The fedi doesn't belong to me. That's the beauty of it. We can make any community and interact with whomever we want. This space enables us to curate whatever kind of experience we want without being tormented by the shifting policies of centralized platforms that want to exploit people. When people complain about blocklists, they are just broadcasting they want to take the place of centralized platforms in this space and define your experience, ignoring what you want. They want to be the central authority on how you use this space. That's not advocating for an open web. That's advocating for *entitlement*. Because a truly open web includes respecting people's choices to have the space they want.

Ubiqueros: A PV Joint
Show threadEmelia 👸🏻Oct 18, 2023

Instances also don't necessarily reflect their users and vice versa. It's not that simple, unless everyone is on tiny instances, which they're not.

Instance level moderation is painting very broad strokes, and most users aren't aware of who their instance is or isn't networked with.

Show threadEmelia 👸🏻Oct 18, 2023
Also, quote posting because these ideas stand on their own too, but that post just inspired me to say something. Don't go dogpiling Ro or anything shitty like that.
Show threadEmelia 👸🏻Oct 18, 2023

idk what a good parallel here might be, but it'd kinda be like blocking entire email servers because some subset of users are sending abusive emails.

(Blocklists in many ways are how we ended up with very centralised email, if I'm not mistaken? Because it was super hard to get on to the "good lists")

Show threadAndrew WatermanOct 18, 2023
@thisismissem You can still run an independent server and get your mail delivered. It does require some understsnding of email standards and DNS — not everybody wants to do that.
Show threadEmelia 👸🏻Oct 18, 2023
@awaterma you can, as long *laundry list of things* (e.g., someone bad didn't previously use your IP address)
Show threadAndrew WatermanOct 19, 2023
@thisismissem you can find ways to work around that as well; or just get another IP. It’s possible to run your own server; I literally work on this every day. :)
Show threadEmelia 👸🏻Oct 19, 2023
@awaterma right, but my point is that the blocklists and systems involved in email has lead to the centralisation of it to a large degree. Whilst it's “possible" it's not necessarily "easy" or "reliable” and requires work.
Show threadAndrew Waterman
@thisismissem You can also rehabilitate IP addresses over time; submit new data to blocklists etc. Things really aren’t so bad if you follow the SPF and DKIM standards.
Dec 13, 2023 at 2:47amWeb