Mastodon MigrationMar 12, 2025

Bluesky To Sell Your Content To AI Data Miners

So it begins. Hidden in Jay Graber's recent charm offensive is this innocuously framed initiative: Bluesky is weighing a proposal that gives users consent over how their data is used for AI (https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/10/bluesky-is-weighing-a-proposal-that-gives-users-consent-over-how-their-data-is-used-for-ai/)

Not so fast.

1) Shows they are planning on doing content deals with AI companies.
2) Seems like it is Opt-out vs. Opt-in (see below).
3) It is just a voluntary robots.txt file

h/t @Lydie https://tech.lgbt/@Lydie/114149023344861046

more...

#Bluesky

Bluesky is weighing a proposal that gives users consent over how their data is used for AI | TechCrunch

Speaking at the SXSW conference in Austin on Monday, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber said the social network has been working on a framework for user consent over

TechCrunch
Show threadJoe ❌👑Mar 12, 2025

@mastodonmigration @Lydie It should be opt-in, not opt-out. But "It is just a voluntary robots.txt file" is all the Fediverse has to defend against bots that sweep up the content of public posts (on sites that don't use authorized fetch, which is most of them).

See https://lwn.net/Articles/1008897/ to see what sites that are trying to do the right thing are up against. Sites that have extensive archives are being hammered by AI scrapers that ignore robots.txt and disguise themselves to defeat blocking.

Fighting the AI scraperbot scourge

There are many challenges involved with running a web site like LWN. Some of them, such as fin [...]

LWN.net
Show threadMastodon MigrationMar 12, 2025

@not2b @Lydie

Point is that she is inviting them in the door. Yes they can always ignore the robots.txt, but it is better if they are not 'allowed' on the platform at all. And a really good question is will Bluesky still be paid for the content data scapers who ignore robots.txt hoover up? This opens a Pandora's box.

Another question... Will Bluesky be paid for Fedi content the data scapers hoover up from Bluesky?

Show threadKuba Suder • @mackuba.eu on 🦋Mar 12, 2025
@mastodonmigration @not2b @Lydie There is no implication or suggestion anywhere in the proposal that Bluesky would be paid for anything by anyone, this is something you've added yourself.
Show threadMastodon Migration

@mackuba @not2b @Lydie

Yes, that is the inference. What are you suggesting? That the plan is to simply give user content to AI data scrapers for free? Don't see how that would be better, and in any case it makes no sense.

But, this can all be resolved very simply by Bluesky clarifying the matter in specific terms. Jay Graber announcing this change to facilitate AI scraping does the opposite.

Mar 12, 2025 at 11:46pmWeb
Show threadKuba Suder • @mackuba.eu on 🦋Mar 13, 2025
@mastodonmigration @not2b @Lydie If users decide so, yes. You can't really sell something that isn't secret at all.
Show threadMastodon MigrationMar 13, 2025

@mackuba @not2b @Lydie

Sure you can. People sell books all the time.

Show threadɹ uɐp Mar 13, 2025
@mastodonmigration @mackuba @not2b @Lydie wait what are these "books" it sounds familiar