veroandi_br on Nostr: [abstract=apub]Decentralization/Bluesky/Fedi Rambling[/abstract] @[url=]Rusty ...

[abstract=apub]Decentralization/Bluesky/Fedi Rambling[/abstract]
@[url=https://cubhub.social/users/Rusty]Rusty Skunk[/url]

Thanks for writing. I agree with most things, except perhaps the privacy controls. Big Tech has set the bar so low that anything else seems pro-privacy. But privacy controls will depend on the software being used. Privacy controls in Pixelfed are basic, Mastodon is basic too. In Friendica, they're more advanced, and it seems that they're great in Hubzilla (but nobody understands Hubzilla).

Admins can sell your data, read your direct messages and, in some software, read your notes to yourself. They can also host the instance with bad, cheap hosting companies that can read or collect your data since it's not encrypted. You are really at the mercy of your admin's ethics, and most of the time, people know nothing about the person who manages an instance. For example, it could be a Meta employee or a fascist state actor who has set up an instance to observe and collect people's data.

So, I'm not enthusiastic about marketing the Fediverse as a whole as a place that protects your privacy because there are inherent risks that people don't always know about or understand, as well as holes and bugs (e.g. posts that aren't deleted across different software, or boosts and likes that can't be undone in some software - which is equivalent to not being able to delete something, a basic GDPR right).

Sure it's better than mainstream social networks in many ways, but privacy controls are still lacking. At least, though, attacks on privacy are not the business model or the default behaviour of those who manage and moderate instances. That is a great thing. There's a lot of space for improvement, and I'm sure the people involved in different projects would love to have the conditions (time, money, skills) to make the platforms more robust in terms of security and privacy.

Needless to say, all mainstream options are really bad for privacy. At least Fediverse platforms offer less risky alternatives for people who worry about privacy, and everyone can improve current code and add pro-privacy features, or fork and build a better option.