Posts by atomicpoet@calckey.social
(DIR) Post #AX5gModycaKDAhNjt2 by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-26T06:07:17.337Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@chetwisniewski@securitycafe.ca @iameli@iame.li How to solve those problems specifically is for another conversation. Nevertheless, it is ludicrous to say that a monopoly should continue in the name of security.
(DIR) Post #AX7kKfIfB83PkJYvrc by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-27T17:36:03.210Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@i@declin.eu Yeah, the problem is that I’m not able to fetch those users when I do a search.
(DIR) Post #AX8uFBSjsanISUGCOW by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-28T02:46:57.135Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
#ActivityPub, which is like the "language" that makes the #Fediverse work, doesn't have special rules to keep things private. It's more focused on helping different parts of the Fediverse talk to each other. ActivityPub doesn't have special rules to keep your messages private, so we need to be careful about what we share and who can hear us.Imagine you have a sandcastle on the beach, and you want to keep it just for yourself and your friends. But sometimes, there are sneaky seagulls that come along and try to take your sandcastle when you're not looking. Even if you build a strong wall around your sandcastle (like ActivityPub), these sneaky seagulls (called scrapers) can still fly over the wall and take your sandcastle away. So, it's important to be careful with what you share, even if there are walls to protect your things.And defederation doesn’t necessarily make your posts private either. You might think because you built another wall for your sandcastle that it will be safe. But sneaky seagulls can still fly over to your wall and see your sandcastle, even if you’ve created a barrier to entry (defederation) that you believe keeps them away. So, just building a wall doesn't always keep your sandcastle (or your privacy) completely safe from the seagulls (or people who want to see your things). They have wings. They can fly over it.
(DIR) Post #AX8uFC4JcsqsL1qCxs by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-28T02:50:20.122Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
As it should be apparent by now, #ActivityPub or defederation is not a suitable “wall” that safeguards privacy. And that was never its intent. Just because you perceive something will keep you safe from voyeuristic entities doesn’t mean it will.
(DIR) Post #AX8uFCi1FGbwKAPuqm by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-28T03:01:39.651Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Now, there's a seagull called Meta, and it's flying around, watching everything that's happening on the beach. Meta is like a company that wants to know what people are doing and talking about.Now, when you're building your sandcastle, you can invite your friends to play with you. You all have a special way of talking to each other, using shells and rocks. This is like the Fediverse, a big group of people using different social media platforms that can talk to each other.But here's the tricky part. Meta, the seagull, has created its own special sandcastle. It looks just like your sandcastle, but it's actually different. It has little hidden cameras inside it, so when people play near that sandcastle, Meta can watch and listen to everything they do. Meta's sandcastle represents their ActivityPub-enabled #Threads server, which is a technology they may use to track people's activities.Now, you might think you can keep your sandcastle private by not playing near Meta's sandcastle. So you and your friends decide to go to a different part of the beach, far away from Meta. But here's the thing: Meta's seagull eyes can still see you, no matter where you go on the beach. It can fly up high in the sky and look down at everything happening on the beach, even if you're not near Meta's sandcastle anymore.Similarly, Meta can still track your activities on the Fediverse, even if you decide to defederate from Meta's ActivityPub-enabled servers. They have other ways to collect information, just like the seagull can fly around and watch from a distance.So, even if you try to protect your privacy by avoiding Meta's sandcastle, they can still see what you're doing because they have other methods of tracking you. That's why it's important to be aware of how your information is being collected and shared, and to make informed choices about what you share on the Fediverse.
(DIR) Post #AX8uFDLireN0JIzcjg by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-28T03:08:41.672Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
People are confusing privacy with #ActivityPub federation or defederation—when they should not. Yes, we all know that #Meta is trying to look at your sandcastle (#privacy).They’re a seagull that’s built a sandcastle in close proximity to your sandcastle. From their sandcastle, they’re trying to watch everything that you’re doing with your sandcastle. But just because you move to a different part of the beach (defederation) doesn’t mean they can’t still see what you do. Remember, in this analogy, Meta is a seagull. And what can sea gulls do? Fly over and look at your castle.
(DIR) Post #AX8uFEGnRS1XAJhChE by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-28T03:25:36.767Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Some people think they’re not being tracked by Meta because they don’t have a Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp account.Not true. Even if you don’t interact with Meta, they know who you are and follow you everywhere on the Internet.They have something called "shadow profiles," which are like secret folders that they keep for people who aren't even using their services yet.Let's imagine you have a friend named Sarah. Sarah doesn't have a Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp account, but she likes to use the internet and visit different websites. When Sarah visits those websites, Meta's special technology quietly watches and learns about her. It notices what websites she visits, what things she likes, and what she's interested in.Meta collects all this information about Sarah, even though she doesn't have an account with them. It's like they're secretly taking notes on Sarah's activities, just in case she ever decides to join their services in the future.So even though Sarah thinks she's staying hidden and private by not having a Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp account, Meta is still keeping an eye on her through these shadow profiles. They use this information to learn more about her and show her personalized ads or recommend things to her when she eventually decides to join their services.You think you’re safe even if you deliberately avoid Meta? Not the case. Despite your lack of consent, Meta has made a “shadow profile” that’s all about you.
(DIR) Post #AXBdJ2RqDnQducyLlA by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-06-29T02:07:49.282Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Stop tagging me in hell threads. I don’t want to be in hell threads. There’s no bloody reason to tag 10+ people in a thread.
(DIR) Post #AXGe7tNYfg5yLP19Qe by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-02T00:45:26.733Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@AkaSci@fosstodon.org @marcelias@mas.to Well, here's the deal: no big tech giant with deep pockets has stepped up to foot the bill for such a feature. Search is a pricey game, my friend, and without some serious investment, we can't expect a Google or Twitter-style search on the Fediverse. So for now, we gotta get creative!
(DIR) Post #AXMztqm0vRue9IvRQG by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-05T02:18:47.503Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Tomorrow, I'm hosting another #Fediverse roundtable. What do you think the topic should be?
(DIR) Post #AXP6LXrPpCK9doxeFM by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-06T02:32:53.388Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
For those who thought Threads wasn’t joining the Fediverse, well it says they are right on their onboarding. There should now be no doubt.
(DIR) Post #AXP6ne1wTloIsvHeVM by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-06T02:45:23.464Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
Doing a Fediverse video roundtable in 15 minutes. We’re discussing #Threads. I have first impressions about it.
(DIR) Post #AXPcvCEKv70FVwj3aa by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-06T02:17:33.403Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Say whatever you want about #Threads, at least you can read messages there without being having a Threads account. Which means it’s functionally better than #Twitter. https://www.threads.net/t/CuVjWxcJ22Z/
(DIR) Post #AXPd1wZjWUUEzLx2yO by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-06T02:22:57.684Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@antimnguyen@mastodon.gamedev.place I wonder why 😂
(DIR) Post #AXQhVsSVaaR7B1Oszo by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-06T21:07:35.990Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
I just wanted to say sorry to @gruber@mastodon.social for comparing him to a child who had his toy taken away. My bad!Now, I personally found @gruber@mastodon.social's complaint a bit short-sighted. On one hand, he claims not to like Meta, even comparing them to a criminal organization. But as soon as there's some regulatory resistance against Meta, he starts complaining.Here's the thing: do we really want Meta to continue behaving like a criminal organization? Or should we have laws in place to keep them in check?I can't help but wonder if Meta would even consider integrating with #ActivityPub if it weren't for the EU's regulatory pressure. Honestly, I highly doubt it.As someone who is greatly respected in the tech community, I truly hope that @gruber@mastodon.social would stand on the side of privacy rather than monopolies. After all, it's an important issue, right?
(DIR) Post #AXR84Fz9DqiunSilvs by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-07T02:00:43.749Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Have you seen the latest update from the #Instagram Help Center? It offers insight into how #Meta views the #Fediverse. Let's take a closer look at the highlighted text together:"Threads is planning to use a protocol called ActivityPub to connect with other servers that support this protocol. Our aim is to enable communication between Threads and users on different fediverse platforms that we don't own or control."Now, considering everything we know about Meta and their business practices, you might wonder why they're doing this. Well, here are a few reasons that could shed some light:1. Regulatory pressure: While Meta is doing its best to compete with Twitter, they also want to avoid appearing like a monopolistic force. By joining the Fediverse, they can show regulators that they are simply becoming part of an existing social network.2. Zuckerberg's strategy: Mark Zuckerberg has been observing what's been happening with Twitter ever since Elon Musk acquired it, and he's learned some lessons. Twitter has faced criticism for various missteps like alienating journalists, restricting API access, and even requiring logins to view tweets. Zuckerberg wants to assure people that Threads is different from Twitter and avoid those same pitfalls.3. Embracing social media decentralization: It's widely acknowledged in the social media industry that the future lies in decentralization. The era of closed-off platforms is gradually coming to an end. Just as Compuserve couldn't survive the open Internet, walled garden social media platforms won't be able to thrive in the open Fediverse. Meta doesn't want to become the next Compuserve.4. Early entry into an emerging ecosystem: Meta is eager to establish itself in the emerging Fediverse ecosystem, much like they tried to do with the Metaverse. Being an early player allows them to take a leadership position before other major players like Google, Apple, and Automattic jump on board.However, it's worth noting that there might be a personal rivalry at play here. There have been rumors of a rivalry between Zuckerberg and Musk, and it seems they don't particularly like each other. So, one could speculate that Zuckerberg might want to undermine Musk by taking down Twitter, the platform Musk acquired for a hefty sum of $44 billion.Hope that provides some context and clarity on why Meta is making these moves. What do you think about Meta’s Fediverse explainer?https://help.instagram.com/169559812696339@fediversenews@venera.social
(DIR) Post #AXRD7yEvdoCEgnh0ro by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-07T02:49:28.363Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
I just had a look at #Meta's recent press release about #Threads, and something caught my attention right away.For the very first time, they're acknowledging another #Fediverse platform alongside #Mastodon. Specifically, they're highlighting that #WordPress can now connect through #ActivityPub.Now, you know Meta's PR department doesn't say things by accident. So here's why this is a big deal. Last time I checked, WordPress powers a whopping 43% of the Internet. Yeah, you heard that right! If you visit a website, there's a good chance it's using WordPress as its CMS.Now, if even a fraction of those WordPress sites start federating, it could have a huge impact on the network effect of the Fediverse. Of course, Meta isn't oblivious to this. I've been talking about the potential of WordPress and ActivityPub for quite some time now.But if you're particularly observant, you might also notice that they mention #Tumblr. We've known for a while that Tumblr is likely to integrate ActivityPub into their platform.But here's an interesting tidbit: Did you know that one company, Automattic, not only owns Tumblr but is also the driving force behind WordPress?I don't want to jump to conclusions, but once again, PR departments don't just drop hints randomly. I have a strong feeling that Meta has been having some high-level discussions with Automattic about the future of ActivityPub. It wouldn't surprise me if Meta has some insights into Automattic's upcoming plans for the Fediverse.https://about.fb.com/news/2023/07/introducing-threads-new-app-text-sharing/@fediversenews@venera.social
(DIR) Post #AXRFaOoSdVdx7YzpEu by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-07T03:23:49.106Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
A while back, I brought up the #Zot protocol as an alternative to #ActivityPub. It's interesting how I received quite an angry DM from someone who strongly opposed the idea of encouraging ActivityPub users to try out Zot. According to him, he didn't want anyone "basic" disrupting his community. He believed that Zot's relative obscurity was part of its charm and didn't want it tainted by regular Mastodon users.However, it's amusing because I can actually see Zot gaining popularity. You see, Threads won’t function using Zot. So, if you're looking for a simple way to avoid Meta content in your feed, just switch to another protocol that's similar to ActivityPub. And that protocol happens to be Zot.I apologize if this sounds surprising, but I have a feeling that even "basic" folks will start using Zot before long.
(DIR) Post #AXROnF80r0aeR8LBM8 by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-07T04:00:24.292Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@gr0k@social.gr0k.net Threads doesn’t federate yet. They will, I imagine, in a few months.
(DIR) Post #AXROnGbpLe271tIVSy by atomicpoet@calckey.social
2023-07-07T05:11:15.685Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@Suoko@misskey.social @gr0k@social.gr0k.net It seems like most people on the Fediverse aren't really interested in migrating to Threads. In fact, a lot of them are openly hostile towards Meta. Understandable, right?Besides, even if Threads starts federating through ActivityPub, I don't see why anyone would feel the need to switch over. I mean, we would already receive all the Threads content through platforms like #Mastodon, #Friendica, and #Calckey. So, I wouldn't have to bother with creating a Threads account at all.And honestly, if Threads were to turn off ActivityPub, I don't think it would be a big loss for me personally. I don't currently read anything from Threads, so if they stop federating, my experience would pretty much stay the same. And let me tell you, my experience right now is pretty good.So yeah, that's where I stand on the whole Threads situation. If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to share!