 Holy shit. The Russian gov send in an abuse request for the @Bellingcat to be removed from mstdn.social :amaze: I am not gonna comply, and have replied to Hetzner No way I'm gonna let the evils of the gremlin dictate stuff on anything I host UPDATE: Hetzner ignores their requests and we're in the clear: https://mstdn.social/@stux/113662573364116275   350 comments
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   @stux @Bellingcat that email doesn't indicate what law they are even filing this under?     @stux @Bellingcat rkn.gov.ru? isn't that like Russian Government Censor Committee something something?  @ZySoua @stux @Bellingcat Roskomnadzor. Fuck, they've found out about us. Maybe we should advise Russian users of mstdn to migrate lest they get DPI'd. @th3rdsergeevich I'd notify the admins of Ru-fedi first about this incident and let them decide and warn users  @tessarakt @th3rdsergeevich @stux Roskomnadzor - Russian commission of monitoring, censoring and controlling the mass media. They are extremely aggressive since the 2022, banning tv shows, apps, books, movies, closing sites, reporting and sending violation reports and etc. They are extremely annoying  @stux @Bellingcat fucking pieces of shit, their grubby hands are now trying to abuse Mastodon... appreciate the call Stux, I can help composing a reply towards Roskomnadzor in russian if needed haha  Russian warship, Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй Alternatively: Российское правительство, иди на хуй (Russian government, go fuck yourself) I would also add "Slava Ukraini" to piss them off more. Maybe I should never write such replies ;) BTW Please feel free to send some fun mails to that address :cat_hug_triangle: Keep the fuckers busy for a while  @stux wait wait wait. THIS is a valid use for AI! BUT, send from somewhere disposable... I would not wany my personal om those asshats radar   @stux @Bellingcat Thank you for posting this and thank you for your excellent response. There's no end to how insidious Russian manipulation is in trying to shift views, and there's much too much apologia for it online — including on the Fediverse. Being open and transparent about it like this is super helpful in combating it. @rhys @stux @Bellingcat i've been seeing a rising wave of russian propaganda in the streets, too. people are putting up pro-russian street art in here in the united states, especially near towns with Trump stores. i can't prove a connection, but i have my suspicions that this is no accident. it's really important right now that if you have the power to do so, start putting out anti-authoritarian propaganda in physical space  @cassandracorvid Discord is really the best and secure service. This is achieved through a lack of transparency and centrality. We should really prefere it over the fediverse. Think about it...   @stux @Bellingcat Well, that's a follow. I wish I knew the exact post that has them sweating, undoubtedly something true and secret that they didn't think could be implied by evidence. People who conduct assassinations probably should not let things they are afraid of be known. But they wouldn't be violent if they were clever. Yeah, fuck you Putler.  @Urban_Hermit @stux @Bellingcat Wasn't it the one about Putin and Trump being in a sexual relationship? Or am I thinking of something I read on @lowqualityfacts ? Sounds too plausible for Low Quality Facts...  @stux welp given Hetzner’s history I d want a separate offsite backup, tested..  @stux @Bellingcat don’t worry, we get those quite regularly for hosting themoscowtimes.com 😎 @koen @stux @Bellingcat but you are also not hosting at hetzner which have some interesting choices made in the past? @synq @koen @Bellingcat :blobcatgiggle: i would LOVE to do that But that's what a little "scary" in this case @stux @Bellingcat bellingcat is helping save the world. We must protect them at all costs  @stux @Bellingcat judging by my knowledge of Russian laws, it's likely some "discreditations of Russian army" or "fakes about Russian army" :ablobcatgooglytrash:
 If we do need to comply with Hetzner on this, I'm gonna look into an option to get mstdn.social in-home, like literally so they won't be able to touch anything But that's a last resort since I do not have the hardware not money for that currently At least there's options just in case @stux If Hetzner really want to comply with this - then it is the wrong step and we should show that to Hetzner...  @stux I would start looking for other EU server providers immediately because other people have had #Hetzner yank their access away without warning, delete their data, and hide behind their TOS as a reason to do so. Even attempting to bring everything in house would be a massive up-front investment, you'd probably have to jump through legal hoops for zoning purposes, and you'd have large ongoing expenses for redundant power, internet access, and hardware @trebach @stux @Bellingcat Oh, mstdn.social is on Hetzner? :neocat_think: Probably also worth checking how well your rules fit together with the Hetzners TOS. Afaik u allow nsfw content, at least if it has a CW. @stux @Bellingcat If it comes to migrating the service away because of politically motivated cease and desist, then I would not be surprised if a provider like @freedominternet is more than happy to help you out. Their dedication to having an open and accessible internet aligns pretty well with this, after all. Before going the route of self-hosting stuff, I would give them a call.  @guusdk @stux @Bellingcat @freedominternet In that case you may also want to check Greenhost, based in Amsterdam. https://greenhost.net/internet-freedom/ @stux @Bellingcat i mean i don't have high hopes for hetzner on anything, but surely they are not that shit to demand compliance with whatever this cunts want
 @stux @Bellingcat Now might be a good time to do a in-instance pop-up notification to your users and warning that you may experience downtime and why.  Let us know if you need a specific fundraising effort for this. I'm sure you'll get lots of support.  @stux@mstdn.social @Bellingcat@mstdn.social They can send all the pro-russian trolls they want to western social media, but the moment they get the least amount of criticism on western social media, they whine like the little bitches they are.  Good for you Stux! 👏 Thank you for standing up for this, and for telling us about this going on! This is like... what the Fediverse is made for, that the people who run it and the people who use it are at the same level instead of some weird corporation doing awful stuff behind closed doors.. @stux if the Russian government wants them taken down, I should follow them. @Bellingcat has a new follower @stux @Bellingcat What’s the adequate reply to this email? Wrong answers only. I will allow myself to start: “Since when did gas stations start sending abuse notices?”   @wonka @xobb @stux @Bellingcat I was thinking one of the procedurally generated multi-page long wangs that we used to sneak into someone's printed out paper in high school.     @stux @Bellingcat @stux @Bellingcat Does it contain more details / explanation of what belingcat did wrong? Or russia just requsted deletion? @stux @Bellingcat it’s funny how they are delusional to actually think you (and any other western people) will comply with their abusive demand.  @aleksandralesya Their arrogance. Imagine how horrible it must be for Russian people, if they don't comply, they likely go to jail or vanish @stux @Bellingcat @energisch_ @stux @Bellingcat don't have to imagine i lived here before coming to EU and yes it's that, you only have the strange part of the population that just don’t care and ignore everything bad until it touch them. @aleksandralesya It's even more horror, if one doesn't get support from others. I'm glad, many ppl made it out off there. @stux @Bellingcat   @stux we all should follow @Bellingcat now, to show our solidarity! #FckPutin and his trolls.  @stux @Bellingcat Tell them that if they want to contact you they can download a Windows .exe file that functions (allegedly) as random number generator. That is, after all, what they ask others to do who wish to contact them. https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/06/adventures-in-contacting-the-russian-fsb/ They've acted against Mastodon instances in the past... but this is the first time I remember it being through an official policy channel. @stux @Bellingcat Watch out, they might fine you more money than has existed in all of history https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxvnwkl5kgo  @stux @Bellingcat interesting that they've decided the Fediverse is big enough to start worrying about :)   @stux @Bellingcat Sent some money to help with the hosting costs because of this.  The best way to fight this? Each censorship attempt equals a donation to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to whip these mofos' nazi ass. Telling them so. "Thank you. Your latest attempt at censorship earned x$ for the UAF", or something like that.  @stux Fediverse is sort of resilent to individual server blocks, because all content stays accessible via server-to-server federation  @stux@mstdn.social @Bellingcat@mstdn.social It's not that I justify requests like this (nobody should restrict free speech), but Bellingcat actually is a scum organization spreading an outright disinformation. By the way, do you treat and defend accounts expressing the Russian point of view the same as the Bellingcat's account? Because if you don't, you should shut the fuck up.  but every media outlet should really have their own server on the fedi. this is our killer app for journalistic freedom. why AP should win. it's why I always bring up @mondoweiss already running their own server. I'm sure they are constantly pissing off the Israeli govt, who will spin such stories as antisemitic and probably convince a few admins of that view. we can't have access to important stories going viral dictated by a few rich people, VCs or corporate interests.  @stux @Bellingcat wow, they don't tell you about this at Mastodon Admin School! @stux  @stux @Bellingcat Le gouvernement russe a demandé la suppression du compte @Bellingcat sur mstdn.social, ce qui soulève des inquiétudes quant à la censure croissante sur les réseaux sociaux. Ce développement met en lumière les défis auxquels sont confrontées les plateformes indépendantes face à la pression gouvernementale pour censurer le contenu critique. 🔒📉 #Censure #LibertéDExpression #Bellingcat @stux@mstdn.social @Bellingcat@mstdn.social It's not that I justify requests like this (nobody should restrict free speech), but Bellingcat actually is a scum organization spreading an outright disinformation and deserves nothing but contempt. By the way, do you treat and defend accounts expressing the Russian point of view the same as the Bellingcat's account? Because if you don't, you should shut the fuck up. @stux@mstdn.social @Bellingcat@mstdn.social Word! good job standing strong! Fuck Putin!!!!   @stux @stux @Bellingcat well, let's just hope hetzner are not going to just cancel your account like they usually do... @stux @Bellingcat The head of Roskomnadzor is on the EU sanctions list, cf. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02014R0269-20221114 This action, again performed under his leadership, again "create[s] a censored information space that promotes, aids and condones the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine." I would propose reporting this to the appropriate Commission service. Bellingcat is welcome to set up a backup account @fairdinkum.one - in fact they should set up dozens all over Mastodon. 👍 P.S. #FuckRussia! Since when does Russia have any sway on what's posted on Social Media )Bessides X that is. https://therecord.media/russia-doubles-blocking-access-independent-media-sites "They are doing it as we sit here." "Russia, Russia, Russia, it was all a hoax, fake news" @stux @Bellingcat TBH, if Hetzner take action on that and not the ddos sources in their network, something is going seriously wrong.  @stux Have they tried carrying sunflower seeds in their pockets? I've been told it's a great homiopathic cure for all sorts of mental illnesses, anxiety, inferiority, paranoia, ethno nationalism. Perhaps that would work instead 😏 of deplatforming @Bellingcat @stux @Bellingcat might be a good time to campaign for dismantling of the laws designed to enable such abuses. 5 seconds edit: This just reads a lot like DMCA and similar laws all over the globe. Not sure if those applies here though. @stux @Bellingcat I would have liked to have seen the last few address lines of the communication.  @stux @Bellingcat  @stux @Bellingcat Putin's targeting Mastodon users now? Mastodon must be getting more popular every minute. 😉 Fucking russian clowns. But that reminds me: The book "We are Bellingcat" is still on my TBR. I will put it on top. Let's see how long it takes the Trumpies to echo that Russian take-down request in the US.   @stux @Bellingcat I wonder if Hetzner is acting legally in responding to the Russian state; perhaps they should check that with their lawyers; would it be counted as 'technical assistance'?  i'm not sure i got it. They can disconnect from internet and connect to Kwangmyong for all i care @stux @Bellingcat Hetzner should reply to the Russians with the bill to fix the baltic sea cable to Finland.   @stux @Bellingcat I love asking people who do things for the Russian Government and Putin specifically What does Putin's dick taste like? #MAGAIdiots go insane when I ask this. I wonder why.  @stux @Bellingcat I'm using Hetzner mainly finish servers - if they force you to remove bellingcat I'm closing my hetzner accounts |
Gregory's Server
Dear Putler,
Go fuck yourself to hell.
Sincerely