70
[Discussion] Pre-emptive Threads defederation (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by ruplicant@sh.itjust.works to c/agora@sh.itjust.works
97 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Should sh.itjust.works preemptively defederate from Threads?

Threads is the not-so-new ~~reddit-like~~ twitter-like public forum platform by Meta, the same commercial company behind internet behemoths like Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. They're working on ActivityPub integration so that they can bridge (federate?) with the fediverse. As far as I know, the focus is on Mastodon instances, but in the future that could include Lemmy instances too.

Some have raised the question, worried about the future of the fediverse or even claiming that it goes against its definition.

What do you think should be done?

EDIT: correction

EDIT.2: The Vote is on! Go make your voice heard. You have until Friday the 29th.

Fediverse instances' status on federation with Threads

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Barbarian@sh.itjust.works 6 points 10 months ago

It's actually relatively trivial to scrape the public data of any instance. If Meta really cared (which I highly doubt), there's nothing stopping them spinning up a temporary instance with a bit that auto-subscribes to all communities it knows about.

Defederating from threads doesn't change the fact that all information on any instance is pseudonymous, but very public.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago

Sure, but they have to actively do that, whereas federation just gives it to them. I want them to have to put in the work to scrape the various instances, not get it for free.

[-] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Couldn't they just get an intern to spend an afternoon actively doing that? It can't be that hard. I'm not a programmer, but it seems to me that if someone has the proficiency to set up an instance, they would have the proficiency to set up crawlers.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago

Probably, but they'll want to integrate it somehow as well. One of the main points of federation is to get access to more content, which means your users have more stuff to look at, which means you get more data to link interests to ads to improve click-through. Scraping it would just give them the data, but they'd have to recreate it for their users to consume.

So scraping is only half the battle here.

this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
70 points (100.0% liked)

The Agora

1600 readers
1 users here now

In the spirit of the Ancient Greek Agora, we invite you to join our vibrant community - a contemporary meeting place for the exchange of ideas, inspired by the practices of old. Just as the Agora served as the heart of public life in Ancient Athens, our platform is designed to be the epicenter of meaningful discussion and thought-provoking dialogue.

Here, you are encouraged to speak your mind, share your insights, and engage in stimulating discussions. This is your opportunity to shape and influence our collective journey, just like the free citizens of Athens who gathered at the Agora to make significant decisions that impacted their society.

You're not alone in your quest for knowledge and understanding. In this community, you'll find support from like-minded individuals who, like you, are eager to explore new perspectives, challenge their preconceptions, and grow intellectually.

Remember, every voice matters and your contribution can make a difference. We believe that through open dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to discovery, we can foster a community that embodies the democratic spirit of the Agora in our modern world.

Community guidelines
New posts should begin with one of the following:

Only moderators may create a [Vote] post.

Voting History & Results

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
TheDude@sh.itjust.works
imaqtpie@sh.itjust.works
Seraph089@sh.itjust.works
Difficult_Bit_1339@sh.itjust.works