decentralization

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The threat of toxic content on decentralised social media platforms
2 months ago
- Mastodon is a decentralized microblogging platform where anyone can create their own instance or community.
- Instances can be isolated or federated, allowing posts to be visible across the network.
- There are about eight thousand Mastodon instances, each with its own moderation policies, leading to inconsistent content standards.
- Toxic content can spread freely across federated instances due to the lack of platform-wide moderation.
- Research indicates toxic content is becoming more prevalent on Mastodon, despite many users migrating to escape toxicity on other platforms.
- Decentralization offers advantages like no single entity controlling the network, but it also enables the spread of unwanted content.
- Finding a solution to toxic content on Mastodon is challenging because of its decentralized nature.
They Are Just Links
2 months ago
- NFTs are tokens representing ownership, typically visual art, stored on a blockchain like Ethereum using the EIP-721 standard.
- Many NFTs rely on centralized services (e.g., Google Cloud) for metadata, risking data loss if those services fail or change.
- NFTs don't guarantee uniqueness or authenticity, as anyone can duplicate a contract and create similar tokens, requiring centralized verification (e.g., OpenSea).
- NFTs resemble torrents by linking to content rather than containing it, posing copyright issues but depending on centralized platforms for recognition.
- The NFT space is not truly decentralized, with major platforms like OpenSea able to ban tokens and control value, making it a speculative and hype-driven market.
There Are No Instances in atproto — overreacted
2 months ago
- atproto does not use 'instances'; instances are a Mastodon concept that conflates hosting and apps.
- atproto separates hosting from aggregation, similar to RSS and Google Reader, where content lives on personal hosting and apps aggregate it.
- In atproto, users can swap hosting freely and build new apps without being tied to a single platform.
- Centralized social media (e.g., Facebook) encloses users in one space, while federated systems like Mastodon use instances that exchange data, creating issues like identity tied to instances and O(n²) scaling.
- Decentralization in atproto is achieved through hosting portability and app diversity, not through the number of instances.
I joined the IndieWeb, here's what I learned
2 months ago
- The IndieWeb is a people-focused alternative to the corporate web, started in 2010, emphasizing owning your data, better connectivity, and control.
- Silos (walled gardens) are centralized corporate platforms that restrict access, claim rights over content, and often disappear, taking user data with them.
- IndieWeb principles include owning your data, using visible data, making and using what you need, documenting and open-sourcing, prioritizing UX, modularity, longevity, plurality, and having fun.
- Key technical standards: your own domain as identity; microformats2 (h-card, h-entry) for machine-readable HTML; rel='me' for verified identity; Webmention for cross-site conversations; IndieAuth for domain-based login; Micropub for publishing; WebSub for real-time feeds; and Microsub for decoupled reading.
- Publishing strategies: POSSE (publish on your site, syndicate elsewhere), PESOS (publish elsewhere, syndicate to your site), and backfeed to bring interactions back to your site.
- The IndieWeb coexists with the Fediverse (bridged via Bridgy Fed) but critiques RSS/Atom for maintenance issues, promoting h-feed instead.
- Getting started involves obtaining a domain, setting up hosting, creating pages, syndicating, adding microformats, validating with IndieWebify.me, and joining the community.
- The author implemented Webmention, h-entry, h-card, and rel='me'; discarded Micropub, WebSub, and h-feed due to personal workflow and design constraints.
- Key advice: use plain HTML for durability, create permanent URLs, commit gradually, plan for extreme longevity, and have fun with your website.
Why Org Social is the ethical Fediverse alternative
2 months ago
- The Fediverse has structural issues including concentration (e.g., mastodon.social hosting 40% of accounts), human cost (volunteer burnout), and complexity (ActivityPub is hard to implement).
- Org Social is a decentralized alternative based on a plain text file (social.org) that users host themselves, allowing full ownership, simplicity, and no reliance on instances.
- It addresses ethics through design: simplicity (easy spec), accessibility (human/machine-readable), decentralization (no central instance), richer format (Org Mode features), user ownership, censorship resistance, human sustainability, and honest privacy (all public).
- Limitations include no embedded media, no private messages, everything public, reliance on relays for better UX, and a technical barrier for self-hosting.
- Conclusion: Org Social reduces social networking to a user-owned text file, eliminating Fediverse problems as a design consequence rather than a promise.
Damaged Earth Catalog
3 months ago
- The Damaged Earth Catalog promotes a shift from remote power structures (government, big business, formal education, church) to intimate, community-based power.
- It focuses on communities conducting their own education, finding inspiration, shaping their environment, and sharing knowledge.
- The catalog seeks and promotes practices supporting this transition, listing various approaches such as Appropriate Technology, Low-Tech, Permacomputing, and Degrowth.
Mastodon, the Only Good Choice
2 months ago
- The essay argues that now is a good time to leave declining social media platforms, recommending Mastodon as a better alternative.
- Mastodon is decentralized, akin to email, with no single owner, no ads, and allows migration between servers without losing followers.
- Users report more meaningful interaction and conversation on Mastodon compared to other platforms, despite potentially smaller follower counts.
- The platform supports diverse content, including sex-positive and NSFW material, with content warnings to manage visibility.
- Moderation is server-based, with tools like defederation to combat abuse, encouraging a healthier community environment.
- Mastodon features link previews, good search functionality, and a variety of open-source client apps, enhancing usability.
- Its algorithm prioritizes chronological posts from followed accounts, avoiding engagement-driven feeds, with potential for future improvements.
- Funded by nonprofits and community support, Mastodon lacks profit motives, making it resilient and sustainable compared to venture-backed platforms.
- Bluesky is criticized for centralization and reliance on venture capital, which may lead to enshittification through ads or business pressures.
- The essay concludes that Mastodon is the only viable decentralized, non-owned social media option offering a fun and interactive experience.
Private Messaging App Isn't WhatsApp or Signal, It's Delta Chat
3 months ago
- Delta Chat is a decentralized, open-source, end-to-end encrypted, and anonymous messaging app that does not require a phone number or email address to sign up.
- The app previously operated through existing email infrastructure, but now provides users with a random email address and handles all backend processes, enhancing privacy and convenience.
- Features include audio/video calls, group chats, read receipts, disappearing messages, file sharing, and multi-device login, with strong encryption preventing spam.
- Setup involves downloading the app, creating a profile without personal information, and adding contacts via QR codes or invite links.
- Delta Chat offers advantages over competitors like WhatsApp and Signal due to its anonymity, decentralized structure, resistance to blocking/censorship, and data export ease, though adoption among contacts may be limited.
Carl is a lightweight BitTorrent client with first-class Tor anonymity
3 months ago
- Carl is a lightweight BitTorrent client that features Nostr-based discovery and built-in Tor anonymity.
- It does not require accounts or collect telemetry; user identity is managed via a local Nostr key.
- Connects directly to peers when privacy is not a priority, with trackers and DHT enabled.
- Routes all connections through a proxy and uses remote DNS resolution via socks5h:// to prevent leaks.
- Downloads over Tor and seeds as a .onion hidden service, keeping the user's IP address invisible.
- Searches a decentralized relay network for torrent events (NIP-35) without centralized censorship or logging.
- Automatically switches off DHT and UDP trackers when a proxy or Tor is enabled to maintain privacy.
- Treats peers, pieces, magnet links, SOCKS proxies, and onion addresses as copyable elements.
- Provides detailed transfer views, including segmented progress bars and have/missing heatmaps.
- Enables quick clipboard access to info-hashes, magnet links, and .onion addresses.
- Distinguishes trackers, DHT, and Nostr peer-announce sources for clear peer origin tracking.
- Offers visual indicators for proxy/Tor traffic confinement and relay connection status.
- Allows easy file sharing as a hidden service in two clicks, with prominent address display.

decentralization

The threat of toxic content on decentralised social media platforms

They Are Just Links

There Are No Instances in atproto — overreacted

I joined the IndieWeb, here's what I learned

Why Org Social is the ethical Fediverse alternative

Damaged Earth Catalog

Mastodon, the Only Good Choice

Private Messaging App Isn't WhatsApp or Signal, It's Delta Chat

Carl is a lightweight BitTorrent client with first-class Tor anonymity