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Top-level
Mike McCue
- If those who have been working on open revert to closed in the name of preventing bad actors, closed will win. - If open wins we get things like the web. Imperfect but far greater for humanity than most everyone being online via AOL. - We’re at a precious moment in time for the fediverse. When it comes to social media, open has a real chance right now. And closed is on the ropes. Let’s not blow it. 19 comments
Mastodon Migration
It therefore becomes incumbent on those who are building the protocols and applications to communicate the value proposition. Not just the wonderful future that such interoperability will give users. Also, the comfort they can derive from technical features and legal terms, ensuring them that their personal data and content contributions will not be exploited without their consent.
Mike McCue
@mastodonmigration I think there are some important actions to take in the coming months to prepare for the federation with threads. Has anyone made a list of key things we should focus on to protect people in the fediverse? For example @evan talked recently about the importance of being able to delete replies from a thread you started. I think people should also be able to opt out of quote posts as another example. Is there a group of people already talking about this?
Mastodon Migration
Technical features are one thing. Not familiar with any organized work, but that doesn't mean there isn't any. But the other area which would go a very long way to addressing user concerns is explicit public data use and privacy terms. Thinking of an opt-in/out-out framework that gives users explicit control over their content and personal data. Such frameworks, particularly in the EU, are now common for internet services. If we want open social to work, we should do it here too.
Mike McCue
@mastodonmigration @evan great point. Mastodon already has a number of these built in which is a good start.
Mastodon Migration
Kind of. Actually, the Mastodon Privacy Policy is very limited. It really only gives the instance the right to republish content and not share personal data. When user information and content starts crossing commercial entity lines things get much less defined and potentially problematic. Corporate applications have much different terms and many include license agreements for various purposes, including commercial purposes, which of course users agree to when they sign up. 1/
Mastodon Migration
So, how do rights track content and personal data around this new open social web? If we can answer these questions and construct a satisfactory framework for both users and providers, before it turns into a mess and regulatory solutions start being fought over and mandated, we'd be way ahead and off to the races.
mybarkingdogs
@mike @mastodonmigration @evan Blocking threads/meta *is* part of being the open social web, because it's a necessary act of defense to keep us from becoming absorbed into Facebook like there NEEDS to be a part of federated social media that has no Facebook connection at all, in case Facebook tries some sort of buyout or copyright lawsuit or buying servers or incorporating proprietary tools or whatever
mybarkingdogs
@mike @mastodonmigration @evan To use a capitalist/business comparison (ugh), it's like refusing to let Walmart carry your products being a defense of your business, because at some point you will either be beholden to Walmart supply chains or standards or such, or Walmart selling your products will mean *no one* is buying them from you anymore, etc
mybarkingdogs
@mike @mastodonmigration @evan and then, your/your invention's/business's fate is entirely tied to Walmart, and that's worked out really poorly for people who've either sold out, been bought out, or been overwhelmed, because when the Walmart fails or goes out locally - they can't just pick up and start where they were before that
mybarkingdogs
@mike @mastodonmigration @evan either way, the best idea is to keep Big Blue Corporation out in the first place, *before* they devour and engulf everything special, unique, local - and then either run away with it or implode 
fromjason.xyz 🖤
@mike Great points Mike. Thank you. Can we expect a public outline of expectations for Meta and its executives in the same vein? Something published that identifies what tactics are or are not acceptable, with clear mechanisms to hold Meta accountable if it does not meet those standards?
fromjason.xyz 🖤
@mike Only if you think it's an important question to ask. I'm limited to the info on my feed so I trust your judgment. Thanks for replying. 
tuban_muzuru
Meta is untrustworthy and has been since they taped their first dollar to the wall. You can bet your life you will need your accountability measures drawn up.
Matt Ⓥ
@mike Food for thought, appreciate the post Mike. I hope I’m not splitting hairs, but what’s your definition of “win” here? It reads to me like you see it as a zero-sum game. Open survives, closed dies, or vice-versa. Does it all need to be a competition? Surely the fact that both exist proves the pool that both swim in is open already? Isn’t the availability of an open option the win already?
Mike McCue
@vmatt well, you raise a good question. For purposes of this post Win=most people around the world do social media via an open standard like ActivityPub from whatever app, whatever provider, with whatever group of people, using whatever algorithms with whatever compensation model they prefer. Lose=the big social media companies continue to own and run and lock in the majority of people on the planet.
tuban_muzuru
Open can win, but it's a narrow scrape. Consider the case of how and why IBM saw the wisdom of porting Linux to its hardware. Nobody reading this needs to be told about openness or flexibility or reducing costs - Linux had a Benevolent Dictator to keep the whole contraption chugging down the tracks. ActivityPub's leadership will require strategic leadership. It's done extremely well with collaboration and consensus, but may want to empower its governance... I don't know. |
Gregory's Server
@mike
Completely agree we are in a moment in time that is precious and we will not easily get another chance at this. The real prospect of a broad based open social web is incredibly exciting.
For it to succeed, users will need explicit protections from surveillance and exploitation. Open will not work if users feel like they are just throwing open the door for all their thoughts and ideas to be hoovered up and processed into sophisticated personalized influence campaigns.
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#OpenSocialWeb