Nostr notes by Al Kath

I tried to explain my thoughts better in this post: ...

2026-03-31T11:18:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…vcug
_________________________

I tried to explain my thoughts better in this post:

https://infosec.exchange/@kathsone/116323474562270057

But let me be clear: I completely disagree that the problem of those who torment me should be solved only by the recipient of the requests for help.

It's clear: what's worse than genocide? How can you not show solidarity with those who suffer it? But we must also consider the disproportion between problem and tool: you're certainly not so presumptuous as to think that the Fediverse can contribute even minimally to solving the problem of the Palestinians in Gaza! If the Fediverse lends itself to this game, without putting a stop to it, it will find itself in the same situation as the crew of a lifeboat faced with a thousand shipwrecked people. They will, of course, put their survival instincts ahead of any theoretical consideration of the dilemma of not being able to save more than a dozen people.

The Fediverse isn't big enough for these problems.

Nada (npub1n62…4qju) Aral Balkan (npub1p09…m5vl)

quoting
note1erm…wdlg

Forgive my outburst, which wasn't directed at you but rather at all the Gazan accounts asking for money.

You stumbled upon me because your post addressed three inextricably linked issues:
Private messages
The success rate of requests for financial support
The suspension of those who send private messages requesting financial support

For me, the problem is that in the Fediverse, it's immoral to ask for financial support unless it's related to the development of the broader Fediverse ecosystem and open-source software. If the request also includes mentioning one or more profiles, or worse, a private message, then the level of harassment increases.

In this sense, your question is a bit too naive:

> Why do donors often respond to private messages more than others, even though the content of private messages is usually similar to that of public messages?

As I explained, sending private messages offers several advantages:
It's hidden: no one knows how many messages you've sent (although checking your message counter helps determine this). So if someone goes to your profile, they won't find a wall of messages asking for help.
Like phishing spam, if you send a thousand messages to a thousand users, then you'll find someone vulnerable enough to give you money.

So your other question is superfluous:

> Why aren't private messages and their senders ignored until they give up sending them?

Because there's no correct behavior when receiving SPAM, the only behavior that minimizes the damage is ensuring administrators protect their users from SPAM.

Furthermore, it's not true that

> The problem is not in giving… but in the lack of fairness in directing it.

Because these are the mechanisms of marketing, and in the marketing of desperation (which is still marketing), the most unscrupulous, not the most desperate, wins.

I conclude with my thoughts on the Fediverse: the Fediverse community is particularly vulnerable, defenseless:
those who live here are ethically sensitive "by design",
those who live here have always been opposed to some cornerstones of Israeli policies (techno-surveillance, lethal AI, technological lobbying)
those who live here are accustomed to donating money to open-source projects, and they do so not only to benefit from externalities, but also out of simple benevolence (=charity)
no one here bans a Palestinian, justifying the ban with his alleged "complicity with H4m4s"

We are a minority compared to the vast public of social networks, but we are a public of sensitive users and real users (and not bots): if we are not defended by our administrators, we will be inundated with requests for help. We cannot afford that: we are too few to manage **as users of the Fediverse** the effects of a genocide. We cannot do it here.

Forgive my outburst, which wasn't directed at you but rather ...

2026-03-31T11:09:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…ddvt
_________________________

Forgive my outburst, which wasn't directed at you but rather at all the Gazan accounts asking for money.

You stumbled upon me because your post addressed three inextricably linked issues:<li>Private messages</li><li>The success rate of requests for financial support</li><li>The suspension of those who send private messages requesting financial support</li>

For me, the problem is that in the Fediverse, it's immoral to ask for financial support unless it's related to the development of the broader Fediverse ecosystem and open-source software. If the request also includes mentioning one or more profiles, or worse, a private message, then the level of harassment increases.

In this sense, your question is a bit too naive:

> Why do donors often respond to private messages more than others, even though the content of private messages is usually similar to that of public messages?

As I explained, sending private messages offers several advantages:<li>It's hidden: no one knows how many messages you've sent (although checking your message counter helps determine this). So if someone goes to your profile, they won't find a wall of messages asking for help.</li><li>Like phishing spam, if you send a thousand messages to a thousand users, then you'll find someone vulnerable enough to give you money.</li>

So your other question is superfluous:

> Why aren't private messages and their senders ignored until they give up sending them?

Because there's no correct behavior when receiving SPAM, the only behavior that minimizes the damage is ensuring administrators protect their users from SPAM.

Furthermore, it's not true that

> The problem is not in giving… but in the lack of fairness in directing it.

Because these are the mechanisms of marketing, and in the marketing of desperation (which is still marketing), the most unscrupulous, not the most desperate, wins.

I conclude with my thoughts on the Fediverse: the Fediverse community is particularly vulnerable, defenseless:<li>those who live here are ethically sensitive "by design",</li><li>those who live here have always been opposed to some cornerstones of Israeli policies (techno-surveillance, lethal AI, technological lobbying)</li><li>those who live here are accustomed to donating money to open-source projects, and they do so not only to benefit from externalities, but also out of simple benevolence (=charity)</li><li>no one here bans a Palestinian, justifying the ban with his alleged "complicity with H4m4s"</li>

We are a minority compared to the vast public of social networks, but we are a public of sensitive users and real users (and not bots): if we are not defended by our administrators, we will be inundated with requests for help. We cannot afford that: we are too few to manage **as users of the Fediverse** the effects of a genocide. We cannot do it here.

the problem is that you're a pain in the ass asking for money ...

2026-03-30T12:53:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…d4q2
_________________________

the problem is that you're a pain in the ass asking for money here in the Fediverse!
This is a nonprofit organization based on volunteers, and for many, it's a safe haven from the terrible things happening in the world.

We don't deserve to be bombarded by thousands of tragic requests for help that we can't directly verify and that prey on our pity, or worse, our guilt.
Sending private messages is harassment. Sending private messages asking for money is even more odious, because we know that sooner or later, someone vulnerable will donate.
Here in the Fediverse, we have a duty to defend our users' "right to levity," we have a duty to help each other prevent the Fediverse from turning into a street full of beggars, and we have a duty to report to our administrators anyone who contacts us privately asking for money.

Fabio Manganiello (npub1xw9…75ln) Aral Balkan (npub1p09…m5vl)

ti rispondo io dire sopra i mille, sopra il migliaio o sopra la ...

2025-01-31T17:40:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…sz66
_________________________

ti rispondo io dire sopra i mille, sopra il migliaio o sopra la decina di bizzeffe NON HA ALCUN SENSO

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