Earlier this year, I detailed a simple technique for deanonymizing scam sites on CloudFlare, by getting the back-end webserver to email you and reveal the server’s IP address (so you can forward your complaints to their ISP).

In a similar vein, I’d like to explain a simple technique for increasing the likelihood that your abuse reports on social media websites like Twitter get taken seriously.

Don’t Use the Easy Button

Every tweet (except your own) has a Report Tweet link attached to it. The user interface is different on web and mobile, but most people know how to find it.

The problem with this “easy button” is twofold:

1. It’s low-effort and high-bandwidth, so a lot of people use it and therefore the signal-to-noise ratio isn’t very high.
2. The “report tweet” workflow lets you select from one of a few narrowly defined categories of abuse without giving you any space to explain why it’s abusive.
   For example: A lot of anti-furry hate is a dogwhistle for ableist or queerphobic rhetoric. Without knowing that context, how do you expect the folks handling abuse reports for social media companies to make the correct choice?

Instead, File an Abuse Report

This is actually a separate thing, and the link to the harassment report form is here. (This is one of many forms you can file with Twitter’s support team.)

Not only do you get to click the radio buttons that the Quick and Easy path allows, you also get to fill in a description of the problem.

A screenshot of the harassment report form.

The difference here isn’t theoretical; a concise explanation of the problem is the difference between your report being ignored and this:

https://twitter.com/SoatokDhole/status/1319983706858246146

If you have any friends that are frequent targets of social media harassment, and their reports aren’t taken seriously, share this article with them.

Art by Khia.

(That being said, I’m really sorry this is even necessary.)

What About Automation?

One motivation to still use the “easy button” when reporting abuse is if you’re hoping to trigger some automated mechanism (i.e. “If 3 different accounts report this as abuse, suspend their account until someone can investigate”).

In that case, press that easy button to your heart’s content.

https://twitter.com/packonines/status/1068746663764860929

https://soatok.blog/2020/11/12/deplatforming-hate-and-harassment/

#abuseReporting #cyberbullying #harassment #hateSpeech #onlineAbuse #SocialMedia #Twitter

Dhole Moments

2020-05-09 22:31:37

Update (2021-01-09): There’s a newer blog post that covers different CloudFlare deanonymization techniques (with a real world case study).

---

Furry Twitter is currently abuzz about a new site selling knock-off fursuits and illegally using photos from the owners of the actual fursuits without permission.

The website in question.

Understandably, the photographers and fursuiters whose work was ripped off by this website are upset and would like to exercise their legal recourse (i.e. DMCA takedown emails) of the scam site, but there’s a wrinkle:

Their contact info isn’t in DNS and their website is hosted behind CloudFlare.

CloudFlare.
Private DNS registration.

You might think this is a show-stopper, but I’m going to show you how to get their server’s real IP address in one easy step.

Ordering the Server’s IP Address by Mail

Most knock-off site operators will choose open source eCommerce platforms like Magento, WooCommerce, and OpenCart, which usually have a mechanism for customers to register for an account and login.

Usually this mechanism sends you an email when you authenticate.

(If it doesn’t, logout and use the “reset password” feature, which will almost certainly send you an email.)

Once you have an email from the scam site, you’re going to need to view the email headers.

With Gmail, can click the three dots on the right of an email then click “Show original”.

Account registration email.
Full email headers after clicking “Show original”.

And there you have it. The IP address of the server behind CloudFlare delivered piping hot to your inbox in 30 minutes or less, or your money back.

That’s a fairer deal than any of these knock-off fursuit sites will give you.

Black magic and piss-poor opsec.

What Can We Do With The Server IP?

You can identify who hosts their website. (In this case, it’s a company called Net Minders.)

With this knowledge in mind, you can send an email to their web hosting provider, citing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

One or two emails might get ignored, but discarding hundreds of distinct complaint emails from different people is bad for business. This (along with similar abuse complaints to the domain registrar, which isn’t obscured by DNS Privacy) should be enough to shut down these illicit websites.
The more you know!

Epilogue

https://twitter.com/Mochiroo/status/1259289385876373504

The technique is simple, effective, and portable. Use it whenever someone tries to prop up another website to peddle knock-off goods and tries to hide behind CloudFlare.

https://soatok.blog/2020/05/09/how-to-de-anonymize-scam-knock-off-sites-hiding-behind-cloudflare/

#cloudflare #deanonymize #DNS #fursuitScamSites #informationSecurity #OnlinePrivacy #opsec

While the furry fandom can be a wonderful place and a force for good in the world, the topics that tend to circulate on Furry Twitter are somewhat seasonal: They repeat every so often–usually sparked by someone saying or doing something shitty–and never actually lead to a productive result.

Let’s look at a few of these reoccurring topics and suggest actual solutions, rather than reactionary hot takes that only add fuel to an already out-of-control fire.

Safe Spaces for Underage Furries

https://twitter.com/BoozyBadger/status/1275443221624057856

Once upon a time, there was a movement called Burned Furs: A right-wing puritanical effort to rid the early furry fandom of its adult side. If you take the time to read about these clowns, you’ll hear a lot of the same arguments that alt-right trolls make today, except now they use the word “degenerate” to describe anything vaguely LGBTQ+.

As a result, most adult furries are generally wary of the creation of a “safe space” for strictly-SFW furry content, because it always gets co-opted by homophobes and the “sex is evil” variety of bigot. There’s also the concern that if you put all of the minors in one place, it will inevitably become a flytrap for creeps looking for their next victim.

There absolutely should be room for furries–of any age (asexual folks are valid too)–that only serves work-safe (i.e. non-sexualized) content. However, these spaces should be curated by people with a generally sex-positive mindset.

Why Should Sex-Positive Adults Moderate Non-Sexualized Spaces?

Let’s learn from history, please, so as to not repeat its follies.

If the horror known as conversion therapy has proven nothing else, it’s that telling LGBTQ+ kids that sex is evil is only going to lead to misery and suicide.

(No, I’m not pulling punches on this one. Religious nuts just love to drive queer people to suicide, and only 20% to 25% of furries are heterosexual.)

Nature abhors a vacuum. If you don’t step in, someone else will. If someone else is incentivized to do so, they probably won’t have the kids’ best interests in mind. Neither anti-sex puritans nor would-be sexual predators should be given access, let alone influence.

Neither should right-wing extremists, such as “alt-furry” (a movement of imbeciles who follow someone’s fursona named “Foxler”–literally “Fox Hitler”–yet try to insist they aren’t Nazis; yeah right).

What Should Be Done?

Art by circuitslime.

First, accept that a lot of furries are underage and shouldn’t be exposed to adult content–even if for no other reason than legal risk. (If anyone objects to that, you should feel very concerned about being alone with them.) Furthermore, there are some adults that don’t want to be exposed to NSFW content either.

Being sex-positive isn’t the same thing as being horny. Sex-positivity requires an understanding and respect for consent and boundaries. If someone doesn’t want to see your lewd art or photos, don’t go out of your way to make sure they see it (i.e. sending it to them directly).

Have an After Dark social media account for 18+ users? Block minors that try to follow you (and consider making your account private then screening your follow requests to filter out minors).

However, I don’t think we necessarily need a separate “label” for SFW furry content. Labels make you more susceptible to being coopted by perverse motives.

Worksafe furry groups on Signal/WhatsApp/Telegram/Discord/etc. are all valid.

If you’re underage and yearn for a SFW space for your furry fandom participation, talking to Moms of Furries is probably the best way to get started. Unlike random furries, their entire schtick is “make the fandom easier for parents to understand, and safer for their kids to play in”.

The threat model is complicated, the lines are blurred, and there’s a lot of shades of gray, but ultimately just letting people have worksafe spaces in the fandom is a good thing.

Just don’t let anyone try to convince the folks in those spaces that people who do enjoy the adult side of the fandom are bad and deserve to be shunned. That’s the anti-sex puritan bullshit I’ve talked about.

Murrsuits / Pup Hoods / etc.

Like clockwork, a pocket of furries (usually the same agitators mentioned in the previous section) will surface with some sort of hatred/shaming towards murrsuits, pup hoods, and other harmless sources of fun and self-expression.

(A murrsuit, by the way, is a fursuit that’s specifically intended for use in sexual encounters, and usually has extra zippers for the wearer’s privates.)

The exact nature of their outrage changes with the season. Some folks (like the dumb narcissistic troll who once created a database of murrsuit owners) make unsubstantiated claims about health/cleanliness with sexual fluids and murrsuits.

Others are lazy, and make general hand-wavy statements that strike a moral chord with most people, but don’t actually make sense when you think about them for very long. Their structure looks like this:

• If some people have sex in their fursuits, then fursuits are sex toys.
• You shouldn’t have sex toys around kids!

This is a lazy attempt to manipulate the listener, for two reasons:

1. If some people have sex in their fursuits, that doesn’t actually make fursuits sex toys– and even if it somehow did, it still doesn’t make it so for people who don’t have sex in their fursuits.
2. Lots of people have sex while wearing clothing. Wouldn’t the same logic applied to fursuits apply here too? And if so, are you arguing for everyone being naked around children? I sure fucking hope not.

Similar arguments are often raised about pup hoods, because of their apparent BDSM/kink connotations.

If they’re being worn in a non-lewd, tasteful manner (i.e. nobody’s genitals are being exposed, there’s no visible “bondage”, etc.), there’s nothing special about the anti-pup hood arguments. Same shit, different day.

What Should Be Done?

Simple: People really need to get over their fear of sex.

When you see someone trying to shame another adult for having a sexuality, tell them to fuck off and leave the other person alone.

People with healthy sex lives don’t owe you anything, except a baseline for hygiene that literally every murrsuiter I know already exceeds without ever having to be told. There’s no action item here.

Sexual Abusers

They aren’t welcome; get the fuck out! I don’t care how their victims are classified: You aren’t allowed to be a part of our fandom if you perpetrate or support sexual abuse.

Underage, non-human, whatever. Leave.

Begone! (Art by Khia)

Sexual abuse isn’t actually part of the Discourse we’re examining. Call those fuckers out and don’t let them back in. You’re doing good work by cleaning house.

Sometimes, you’ll come across a furry who decries the fact that their sexual abuser friends got “cancelled” by “cancel culture” and “social justice warriors”. These putzes ought to be loaded into a rocket and fired into the sun too.

Also: Kero the Wolf is guilty and people who still believe his innocence, or attempt to downplay the severity of his heinous acts, are doing a disservice to the entire fandom. (Or they’re also animal abusers, in which case, they can get yeeted too.)

Babyfurs

There is a very stark difference between babyfurs (people who mix AB/DL with furry) and pedophiles.

The former is a harmless kink that involves adults roleplaying.

The latter is a sexual disorder that leads to the victimization of children.

Whenever babyfurs come up in the Furry Twitter Discourse, what’s really happening is the anti-sex crowd is trying to hope you won’t realize these are two very different ideas, and that your well-deserved disgust for one will automatically translate into hatred for the other.

Don’t be fooled.

(Hey, it’s not my thing either, but if it’s safe and between consenting adults, who the fuck are either of us to judge?)

A Word on “Just Fantasy”

Apologists for artistic depictions of pedophilic and zoophilic acts will often try to defend themselves by insisting it’s “just fantasy” and isn’t hurting anyone because no one’s consent was violated.

While it’s true that research currently indicates that these kinds of pornography may not be correlated at all with sex crimes, and only the minority of sexual abuse is committed by a stranger, this is not an article discussing what should or should not be legal.

Take that up with the Justice system. I’m not interested in debating what the law “should” be.

The fact that this type of content is usually illegal, and taken very seriously by authorities (to the point of threatening our right to encrypt), is a premise for this discussion, not a conclusion.

And because it often is illegal (see: the Miller test), the furry fandom should not embrace it. Full stop.

I frankly don’t care what a therapist might advise someone with these attractions. That’s between them and their patients. Sexual abuse must not be tolerated, and possessing materials that depict sexual abuse (whether against animals or children) are legally perilous.

It’s also not the furry fandom’s job to be the forerunners of the debate about the social acceptability of art depicting child or animal exploitation fantasies. If that’s your cause, go find a new shield.

It’s not appropriate for anyone to expect a community that already struggles with unfair assumptions and connotations of sexuality to move before the rest of society on any issue even vaguely related to sex crimes.

Feral Art and Characters

Some artists have feral art styles (i.e. standing on four legs rather than two; no thumbs).

Feral characters with human sentience are still furry, even if you can superficially relate feral furry art to the kind of content that animal abusers might seek.

As always, there’s a reasonable litmus test available for judging this kind of content:

The Harkness test, made by BeakieHelmet.

Note: The Harkness Test wasn’t created by an academic institution and there is no peer-reviewed pedigree behind it, but it’s sufficient for our purposes. If you don’t like it, design a better one and get it peer-reviewed. Until then, we can continue to phone it in with the Harkness Test and not make perfect the enemy of good.

Neither pedophile (“cub”) nor bestiality/zoophilia art are okay, because they normalize sexual abuse. Cub art in particular is bad, because it has used by perpetrators to groom people into participating (usually as a victim, but sometimes as a co-conspirator).

Ban cub art. Ban artistic depictions of zoophilia.

But don’t extend the bans to encompass babyfur art (which is AB/DL, not underage characters) nor feral art (which is an art style, not actual animals being portrayed).

If you cannot distinguish cub from babyfur, you shouldn’t be leading any moral crusades on social media or cancelling people, because you’re going to inevitably harm a lot of innocent people if you do.

Same goes for feral/zoo.

What About Pokemon Fursonas (Pokesonas)?

Some furries argue that Pokemon-based fursonas–and any art thereof–is inherently non-furry and therefore any lewd art of their characters is gross and problematic. This warrants a closer look.

Many Pokemon are clearly at, or above, human intelligence (i.e. the psychic types). Furthermore, the fact that Meowth from the anime learned human speech and can directly translate what other Pokemon are saying implies that it is possible to communicate affirmative consent, in the framework of established lore.

Speaking of which: the canon lore for the Pokemon franchise confirms the existence of human-Pokemon marriage (source).

When you combine these observations, it’s pretty clear that Pokemon are generally capable the Harkness test, so these “Pokemon yiff is zoophilia” takes are either arguing for a special case (i.e. either a specific species of Pokemon lacks the sentience that the rest seem to, or the characters involved are violating boundaries), or they’re intentionally engaging in social manipulation to push an agenda.

Also, they’re fictitious creatures. Splitting hairs over this is really petty compared to the harm real people inflict on real animals.

The NSFW Feral Art Acceptability Matrix

If you’re in doubt about whether a piece of NSFW art passes the Harkness test, consult the following table (while being pessimistic; if you can’t tell whether a character is a feral fursona or a dumb animal, always assume the worst):

This table assumes informed, enthusiastic consent, between adults.
* It might pass the test but it’s still kinda weird for humans to be depicting it in art. Be very careful that you’re not producing material that inadvertently promotes sexual abuse and/or aids groomers.

Update (2020-06-28)

I’ve actually gotten a lot of grief from two camps over this section of the post.

One camp wants all feral art to be banned because of a “slippery slope” fallacy, and they believe my argument here doesn’t go far enough.

The other wants all feral art to be allowed because they believe “people can distinguish between fantasy and reality”, and believes my argument goes too far.

People who dig their heels in on extreme, opposite positions will never be made to agree. Neither this blog post nor a painstakingly-researched scientific study will sway their minds, and I have no desire to even try.

I am neither a puritanical moral crusader nor an apologist for sexual abuse. If you are, know now that I will not amend this post to further your agenda.

Consent is what ultimately matters, and since animals and children cannot consent, all art portraying either sexually is harmful.

But if the art doesn’t portray animals or children, it’s fair game (even if you or I personally dislike it). There are much bigger fish to fry than a (largely) harmless fantasy; what are your priorities?

Popufurs

Before I started this blog, I used to write articles on Medium. My most popular one tackled the topic of “popufurs” directly. Go read it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEJ3usS7bb4

Furries Over the Age of 30

One of the dumbest talking points that recurs on Furry Twitter is the “gay death” discourse, cheaply repackaged for furries. So you get a lot of dumb takes like this:

https://twitter.com/JamesCerulo/status/1349071850265972737

The entire concept of Gay Death is stupid, and has roots in the kind of vain heteronormativity that produces dumb memes like this one:

https://twitter.com/SoatokDhole/status/1371862131117801480

Here’s the simple solution to this age discourse whenever it comes up:

• You can be a furry at any age and it doesn’t fucking matter
• Underage furries shouldn’t be in adult spaces (but can certainly claim their own spaces, and that’s totally fine as long as it’s not being used solely to perpetuate the kind of puritanical bullshit that often drives LGBT youth to suicide; see above)
• The greater the gap between your age and another person’s, the more conscientious you should be about leading them on or taking advantage of them in any way

Let’s be real: We’re all nerdy weirdos and anyone who tries to treat the fandom like a high school popularity contest is totally missing the point of a fandom full of nerdy weirdos. Just stop.

If you’ve read this far, consider yourself fully briefed on the recurring topics in Furry Twitter discourse.

If another topic starts rearing its head often enough, I’ll either update this page or write a sequel article to cover the new badness.

https://twitter.com/ArcticSkyWolf/status/1349372061198778368

https://soatok.blog/2020/06/24/resolving-the-reoccurring-discourse-on-furry-twitter/

#antiFurryBullying #furry #FurryFandom #recurringTopics #SocialMedia #Twitter

Dhole Moments

2020-04-24 02:43:25

My recent post about the alleged source code leaks affecting Team Fortress 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive made the rounds on Twitter and made someone very mad, so I got hate DMs.
No more Angry Whoppers for you, mister!
…Look, I only said I got hate DMs, not that I got interesting or particularly effective hate DMs! Weak troll is weak, I know.

A lot of people online claim they “hate furries”, but almost none of them quite understand how prolific our community is, let alone how important we are to the Internet. As Stormi the Folf puts it…

I guarantee you the internet would collapse in a most horrific manner if all the furries in the world got Thano's snapped.

They *run* the internet in more ways than most people realize

— 🦊Stormi the Folf🐺 🔜FWA (@StormiFolf) April 23, 2020

Stormi is the Potato of Knowledge and Floof
What Stormi’s alluding to is true, and that’s a tale best told by an outsider to our community.

Telecommunications as a whole, which also encompasses The Internet, is in a constant state of failure and just in time fixes and functionally all modern communication would collapse if about 50 people, most of which are furries, decided to turn their pager off for a day. https://t.co/k1UqOv5kpd

— Ẑ͚͔͍̻̤̟ä̶̼̗̟͔́̿̾̓n̬͙̫̿͑͊̈̚d̡̰̭̞͖̟̖̟ͬ̚ê̺͖̂ͩ̀̉ͣrͪ̓ (@mmsword) November 28, 2019

Their follow-up tweet that elaborates on furry involvement is here.
So I’d like take the time to explain why nobody should ever underestimate the ingenuity or positivity of the furry community.

The Furry Fandom Has Saved Lives

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3h9sO17CV9A?feature=oembed
This is just one of many anecdotes. You can find many more here.
Although the furry fandom is widely misunderstood, it’s difficult to overstate how many lives have been saved and enriched by our community.

I wanted to share this touching moment. @Reo_Grayfox was telling me his story, and said those lines while staring straight into his fursuit's eyes. Hearing personal stories like this makes you appreciate the vastly diverse reasons why the furry fandom is essential to so many. pic.twitter.com/fD09Wmv6mf

— Joaquín Baldwin (@joabaldwin) January 22, 2018

Furries Provide Much-Needed Comfort to Others

In 2016, refugees from the civil war in Syria ended up in a hotel in Canada. This would have been an utterly remarkable fact if it wasn’t the same hotel and weekend as the local furry convention, Vancoufur.

The kids loved it.

This isn’t an isolated incident either. Our community is well-known for kindness and generosity in spades.

https://charcoalthings.tumblr.com/post/132996328881/i-will-defend-furries-to-my-grave

https://wakor.tumblr.com/post/126072529744/ok-you-know-what

What’s there to hate?

The Furry Fandom is Collectively Pretty Bad-Ass

Art by RueMaw.
No, not like that.

The fandom is bad-ass in as many ways as the fandom is incredibly diverse.
Image source and backstory of this meme: Dogpatch Press

90s furries built the Internet pic.twitter.com/Gicxme2HkT

— SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) April 30, 2019

SwiftOnSecurity knows the truth about more than just corn.

So one of my friends said furries pretty much run the US nuclear response communication networks. Just in case you're worried about Trump.

— SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) November 12, 2016

Seriously.

Some of the Most Talented People You’ll Ever Meet Are Furries

eSports Champions:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TWhrECl6zOY?feature=oembed

Musicians:

https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4NlXsjKmcWegIfQEI0JzHK?utm_source=oembed

Artists and costume makers: I could literally link to hundreds of artists here. Follow me on Twitter; I retweet a lot of cute stuff.

Pretty much everything you could aspire to be that isn’t also terrible, if you look hard enough, you’ll find furries in the leaderboards having a fun time with it all.

The only reason to hate furries is thinly-veiled homophobia, because only about 25% of furries are heterosexual.

Why So Curious?

If I’ve made you curious about our community, and now you want to learn more about us, I’ve got you.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/K2XeOxWW2oY?feature=oembed

Psychology Today: What’s the Deal with Furries?

Furry Fandom Documentary When?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/cF9DQQsUcs0?feature=oembed

Ash Coyote is releasing a documentary about our subculture soon, titled The Fandom. You can find out more about it on her YouTube channel.

https://soatok.blog/2020/04/23/never-underestimate-the-furry-fandom/

#furries #furry #FurryFandom #hateMail #positivity #Society

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Eingeladen sind auch alle, die bereits Erfahrungen mit Mastodon, Friendica, Pixelfed, Misskey oder anderen Anwendungen haben und ihr Wissen gerne weitergeben möchten.

:fediverse: Wissensaustausch: Deine Kenntnisse im Fediverse könnten anderen Teilnehmern sehr nützlich sein, besonders denjenigen, die noch neu in der Community sind.
:fediverse: Networking: Dies ist eine hervorragende Gelegenheit, sich mit anderen engagierten Mitgliedern der Gemeinschaft zu vernetzen und neue Kontakte zu knüpfen.
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Das Online-Treffen findet auf unserem BigBlueButton-Server statt. Du benötigst keine zusätzliche Software, sondern nur einen Browser – vorzugsweise Firefox oder Chrome – ein Mikrofon (es handelt sich schließlich um eine Sprechstunde) und, wenn du möchtest, eine Webcam. Wir freuen uns auf einen lebhaften Austausch! 🎙️ 🙋‍♀️

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Je mehr mitmachen, desto besser!

#FediverseSpechstunde
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#socialmedia

How TikTok bots and AI have powered a resurgence in UK far-right violence

Less than three hours after the stabbing attack on Monday that led to the death of three children, an AI-generated image was shared on X by an account called Europe Invasion. It depicted bearded men in traditional Muslim dress outside the Houses of Parliament, one waving a knife, behind a crying child in a union jack T-shirt.

The tweet, which has since been viewed 900,000 times, was captioned: “We must protect our children!” and shared by one of the most potent accounts for misinformation about the #Southport stabbings.

Experts have warned that new tools and ways of organising have seen Britain’s fractured far right exploit the Southport attack to unify and rejuvenate its presence on the streets.

In a surge of activity not seen for years, more than 10 protests are being promoted across social media platforms such as X, TikTok and Facebook in the aftermath of violent disorder up and down the country.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/02/how-tiktok-bots-and-ai-have-powered-a-resurgence-in-uk-far-right-violence

#UK #UnitedKingdom #FarRight #fascism #fascist #England #AI #SocialMedia #Muslim #stabbing #violence

App Store wymaga od firm opublikowania informacji na temat tego, jak one wykorzystują dane pozyskane od nas i o nas. Oto porównanie tych informacji od Mastodona, Twittera i Threads.

Mastodon

Twitter

Threads

https://imagazine.pl/2023/07/06/mastodon-vs-twitter-vs-threads-ile-oddajesz-swoich-danych-czyli-prywatnosc-zobrazowana/

#Facebook #mediaSpołecznościowe #Meta #prywatność #socialMedia #Threads #Twitter

Wojtek Pietrusiewicz

2023-07-06 07:54:02

App Store wymaga od firm opublikowania informacji na temat tego, jak one wykorzystują dane pozyskane od nas i o nas. Oto porównanie tych informacji od Mastodona, Twittera i Threads.

Mastodon

Twitter

Threads

https://imagazine.pl/2023/07/06/mastodon-vs-twitter-vs-threads-ile-oddajesz-swoich-danych-czyli-prywatnosc-zobrazowana/

#Facebook #mediaSpołecznościowe #Meta #prywatność #socialMedia #Threads #Twitter

1-jarig Mastodon Overheid blikt terug en vooruit

De Nederlandse overheid is 1 jaar aanwezig op Mastodon via de eigen server Mastodon Overheid. Het gaat om een pilotomgeving voor de overheid om dit open platform te ontdekken. Mastodon is een publiek alternatief voor commerciële online sociale media platformen. Wat zijn de eerste ervaringen en lessen uit de pilot?

Pilot Mastodon Overheid

De pilot begon met zo’n 20 overheidsorganisaties, inmiddels doen bijna 40 organisaties mee. Zij gebruiken Mastodon voor communicatie met burgers en bedrijven, en voor pers- en public relations-activiteiten. Pilotdeelnemers zijn onder andere de Belastingdienst, KNMI, Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinfo, BIJ12 en nieuwe bewindslieden. De pilot loopt tot en met in ieder geval december 2024.

Ervaringen en lessen uit de pilot

Onlangs is de pilot tussentijds geëvalueerd. Deelnemende organisaties noemen vooral de betrokkenheid en positieve interactie met de community op Mastodon. Maar ook de bescherming van de privacy voor gebruikers, en de veiligheid en herkenbaarheid (authenticiteit) van accounts van de Nederlandse overheid. Verbeterpunten zijn onder andere het beperkte bereik van de doelgroep. En de integratie van Mastodon in huidige processen en tooling voor social mediabeheer en webcare. Denk hierbij bijvoorbeeld aan tools om berichten op Mastodon in te plannen. Ook zijn er nog beperkte mogelijkheden voor gebruikersstatistieken.

Vooruit kijken

Het streven is om Mastodon Overheid vanaf 2025 aan te bieden aan alle overheidsorganisaties (en alle overheidslagen) als een gemeenschappelijke voorziening van de overheid. Zo draagt het bij aan de vermindering van verspreiding van desinformatie, en aan de afname van afhankelijkheid van commerciële sociale media platformen. Dit versterkt digitale autonomie en een veilige en betrouwbare informatievoorziening. En dat kan het vertrouwen van mensen in de digitale wereld vergroten.

Meer weten?

Geïnteresseerden kunnen nog steeds een account aanvragen. Let wel, er is ruimte voor een beperkt aantal accounts in de pilotfase. Lees meer op onze pagina over Mastodon of ontdek Mastodon Overheid. Heb je vragen? Mail naar: mastodon@ictu.nl

Dit is een automatisch geplaatst bericht. Vragen of opmerkingen kun je richten aan @DigitaleOverheid@social.overheid.nl

#mastodon #MastodonOverheid #publiekeWaarden #socialMedia

Digitale Overheid (geautomatiseerd account)

2024-07-12 09:22:34

1-jarig Mastodon Overheid blikt terug en vooruit

De Nederlandse overheid is 1 jaar aanwezig op Mastodon via de eigen server Mastodon Overheid. Het gaat om een pilotomgeving voor de overheid om dit open platform te ontdekken. Mastodon is een publiek alternatief voor commerciële online sociale media platformen. Wat zijn de eerste ervaringen en lessen uit de pilot?

Pilot Mastodon Overheid

De pilot begon met zo’n 20 overheidsorganisaties, inmiddels doen bijna 40 organisaties mee. Zij gebruiken Mastodon voor communicatie met burgers en bedrijven, en voor pers- en public relations-activiteiten. Pilotdeelnemers zijn onder andere de Belastingdienst, KNMI, Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinfo, BIJ12 en nieuwe bewindslieden. De pilot loopt tot en met in ieder geval december 2024.

Ervaringen en lessen uit de pilot

Onlangs is de pilot tussentijds geëvalueerd. Deelnemende organisaties noemen vooral de betrokkenheid en positieve interactie met de community op Mastodon. Maar ook de bescherming van de privacy voor gebruikers, en de veiligheid en herkenbaarheid (authenticiteit) van accounts van de Nederlandse overheid. Verbeterpunten zijn onder andere het beperkte bereik van de doelgroep. En de integratie van Mastodon in huidige processen en tooling voor social mediabeheer en webcare. Denk hierbij bijvoorbeeld aan tools om berichten op Mastodon in te plannen. Ook zijn er nog beperkte mogelijkheden voor gebruikersstatistieken.

Vooruit kijken

Het streven is om Mastodon Overheid vanaf 2025 aan te bieden aan alle overheidsorganisaties (en alle overheidslagen) als een gemeenschappelijke voorziening van de overheid. Zo draagt het bij aan de vermindering van verspreiding van desinformatie, en aan de afname van afhankelijkheid van commerciële sociale media platformen. Dit versterkt digitale autonomie en een veilige en betrouwbare informatievoorziening. En dat kan het vertrouwen van mensen in de digitale wereld vergroten.

Meer weten?

Geïnteresseerden kunnen nog steeds een account aanvragen. Let wel, er is ruimte voor een beperkt aantal accounts in de pilotfase. Lees meer op onze pagina over Mastodon of ontdek Mastodon Overheid. Heb je vragen? Mail naar: mastodon@ictu.nl

---

Dit is een automatisch geplaatst bericht. Vragen of opmerkingen kun je richten aan @DigitaleOverheid@social.overheid.nl

---

#mastodon #MastodonOverheid #publiekeWaarden #socialMedia

Mastodon

Mastodon socialmedia-kanalen van de Nederlandse overheid. Voor Nederland. Mastodon social media channels of the Dutch government. For the Netherlands.

^{Mastodon op social.overheid.nl}

Note: This post is also available on my website, where it will be periodically updated.

There is a whole science to manipulating our attention. And because there is a lot of money to be made by doing this well, it means we all encounter attempts to manipulate what we pay attention to each day. What is this, and how is it harmful? This post will be the first on a series on the topic.

Why is attention so important?

When people use Facebook, they use it for free. Facebook generally doesn’t even try to sell them anything, yet has billions in revenues. What, then, is Facebook’s product?

Well, really, it’s you. Or, more specifically, your attention. Facebook sells your attention to advertisers. Everything they do is in service to that. They want you to spend more time on the site so they can show you more ads.

(I should say here that I’m using Facebook as an example, but this applies to other social media companies too.)

Seeking to maximize attention

So if your attention is so important to their profit, it follows naturally that they would seek ways to get people to spend more time on their site. And they do. They track all sorts of metrics, including “engagement” (if you click “like”, comment, share, or otherwise interact with content). They know which sorts of things are likely to capture your (and I mean you in specific!) attention and show you that. Your neighbor may have different interests and Facebook judges different things are likely to capture their attention.

Manipulating your attention

Attention turning into money isn’t unique for social media. In fact, in the article If It Bleeds, It Leads: Understanding Fear-Based Media, Psychology Today writes:

In previous decades, the journalistic mission was to report the news as it actually happened, with fairness, balance, and integrity. However, capitalistic motives associated with journalism have forced much of today’s television news to look to the spectacular, the stirring, and the controversial as news stories. It’s no longer a race to break the story first or get the facts right. Instead, it’s to acquire good ratings in order to get advertisers, so that profits soar.

News programming uses a hierarchy of if it bleeds, it leads. Fear-based news programming has two aims. The first is to grab the viewer’s attention. In the news media, this is called the teaser. The second aim is to persuade the viewer that the solution for reducing the identified fear will be in the news story. If a teaser asks, “What’s in your tap water that YOU need to know about?” a viewer will likely tune in to get the up-to-date information to ensure safety.

You’ve probably seen fear-based messages a lot on Facebook. They will highlight messages to liberals about being afraid of what Trump is doing, and to conservatives about being afraid of what Biden is doing. They may or may not even intentionally be doing this; it is their algorithm predicts that those would maximize time and engagement for certain people, so that’s what they see.

Fear leads to controversy

It’s not just fear, though. Social media also loves controversy. There’s nothing that makes people really want to stay on Facebook like anger. See something controversial and you’ll see hundreds or thousands of people are there arguing about it — and in the process, giving Facebook their attention. A quick Internet search will show you numerous articles on how marketing companes can leverage controvery to get attention and engagement with their campaigns.

Consequences of maximizing fear and controversy

What does it mean to society at large — and to you personally — that large companies make a lot of money by maximizing fear and controversy?

The most obvious way is it leads to less common ground. If the posts and reactions that show common ground are never seen because they don’t drive engagement, it poisons the well; left and right hate each other with ever more vigor — a profitable outcome to Facebook, but a poisonous one to all of us.

I have had several friendships lost because I — a liberal in agreement with these friends on political matters — still talk to Trump voters. On the other side, we’ve seen people storm the Michigan statehouse with weapons. How did that level of disagreement — and even fear behind it — get so firmly embedded in our society? Surely the fact that social media shows us things designed to stimulate fear and anger must play a role.

What does it do to our ability to have empathy for, and understand, others? The Facebook groups I’ve been in for like-minded people have largely been flooded with memes calling the President “rump” and other things clearly designed to make people angry or fearful. It’s a worthless experience, and not just that, but it’s a harmful experience.

When our major media — TV and social networks — all are optimizing for fear, anger, and controvesry, we have a society beholden to fear, anger, and controvesy.

In my next installment, I’m going to talk about what to do about this, including the decentralized social networks of the Fediverse that are specifically designed to put you back in charge of your attention.

Update 2020-12-16: There are two followup articles for this: how to join the Fediverse and non-creepy technology purchasing and gifting guides. The latter references the FSF’s page on software manipulation towards addiction, which is particularly relevant to this topic.

https://changelog.complete.org/archives/10119-how-the-attention-economy-hurts-you-via-social-media-sites-like-facebook

#anger #facebook #fear #fediverse #socialmedia

John Goerzen

2020-12-16 05:38:45

Note: this page is also available on my webiste, where it will be periodically updated.

In a recent post, I wrote about how the attention economy in use at big social networks hurts you.

In this post, I’m going to suggest what to do about it.

Mastodon and the Fediverse

When you use email, you can send a message from an account at Google to one at Yahoo, Microsoft, or any of millions of businesses and organizations running their own mail server. Unlike, say, Facebook, email isn’t a single service, but rather a whole bunch of independent systems that can communicate (or federate) with each other.

The Fediverse is similar, and the most advanced Fediverse client is Mastodon.

Mastodon:

• Lets you easily migrate your account from one Mastodon instance to another, similar to how you can migrate a phone number from one carrier to another
• Lets you communicate with users across the Fediverse (other Mastodon instances, and those running other software too)
• Supports very high-quality conversations through sensible moderation controls

It’s easy to get started! Head over to joinmastodon.org and click “Get Started”. Pick a community — don’t worry, this isn’t a hugely consequential decision, as you can always move or change later. You can browse activity from across the Fediverse, or just on your local community, so if you find a community with similar interests, it can be a neat way to find others to follow.

If you’re looking for more details, mastodon.help has a nice guide.

Defeating the Attention Economy

So, why does Mastodon make a difference?

First of all, you get to pick your host (and even software). With Twitter, you pretty much are using Twitter (yes, I know of things like Hootsuite, but for the vast majority of people, it’s twitter.com only). With Mastodon, you have choice. Pick the host that runs the software and has the kind of moderation you like.

Secondly, Mastodon is not for profit. There is no money to be made in keeping you on the site. Almost all Mastodon instances are ad-free. And Mastodon’s completely open protocols make it easy to go elsewhere if you like.

It’s Not Just Mastodon!

There are plenty of other programs in the Fediverse. And, this is really key, they all interact with each other. You can share photos in Pixelfed (sort of like a federated Instagram) and see them and comment in Mastodon! Some things to point out:

• Pixelfed is federated image sharing
• Peertube is federated video sharing

And there are many others.

This blog, for instance, runs WordPress and uses an ActivityPub connector; comments from the Fediverse integrate here.

Find me in the Fediverse

You can look me up: just type in @jgoerzen in the search box of any Mastodon instance and click Follow. You can also follow this blog at @jgoerzen.

https://changelog.complete.org/archives/10124-how-to-join-the-fediverse-and-cast-off-the-attention-economy

#fediverse #mastodon #socialmedia

Mastodon - Decentralized social media

Learn more about Mastodon, the radically different, free and open-source decentralized social media platform.

^{joinmastodon.org}

Note: this page is also available on my webiste, where it will be periodically updated.

In a recent post, I wrote about how the attention economy in use at big social networks hurts you.

In this post, I’m going to suggest what to do about it.

Mastodon and the Fediverse

When you use email, you can send a message from an account at Google to one at Yahoo, Microsoft, or any of millions of businesses and organizations running their own mail server. Unlike, say, Facebook, email isn’t a single service, but rather a whole bunch of independent systems that can communicate (or federate) with each other.

The Fediverse is similar, and the most advanced Fediverse client is Mastodon.

Mastodon:

• Lets you easily migrate your account from one Mastodon instance to another, similar to how you can migrate a phone number from one carrier to another
• Lets you communicate with users across the Fediverse (other Mastodon instances, and those running other software too)
• Supports very high-quality conversations through sensible moderation controls

It’s easy to get started! Head over to joinmastodon.org and click “Get Started”. Pick a community — don’t worry, this isn’t a hugely consequential decision, as you can always move or change later. You can browse activity from across the Fediverse, or just on your local community, so if you find a community with similar interests, it can be a neat way to find others to follow.

If you’re looking for more details, mastodon.help has a nice guide.

Defeating the Attention Economy

So, why does Mastodon make a difference?

First of all, you get to pick your host (and even software). With Twitter, you pretty much are using Twitter (yes, I know of things like Hootsuite, but for the vast majority of people, it’s twitter.com only). With Mastodon, you have choice. Pick the host that runs the software and has the kind of moderation you like.

Secondly, Mastodon is not for profit. There is no money to be made in keeping you on the site. Almost all Mastodon instances are ad-free. And Mastodon’s completely open protocols make it easy to go elsewhere if you like.

It’s Not Just Mastodon!

There are plenty of other programs in the Fediverse. And, this is really key, they all interact with each other. You can share photos in Pixelfed (sort of like a federated Instagram) and see them and comment in Mastodon! Some things to point out:

• Pixelfed is federated image sharing
• Peertube is federated video sharing

And there are many others.

This blog, for instance, runs WordPress and uses an ActivityPub connector; comments from the Fediverse integrate here.

Find me in the Fediverse

You can look me up: just type in @jgoerzen in the search box of any Mastodon instance and click Follow. You can also follow this blog at @jgoerzen.

https://changelog.complete.org/archives/10124-how-to-join-the-fediverse-and-cast-off-the-attention-economy

#fediverse #mastodon #socialmedia

John Goerzen

2020-12-10 18:40:45

Note: This post is also available on my website, where it will be periodically updated.

There is a whole science to manipulating our attention. And because there is a lot of money to be made by doing this well, it means we all encounter attempts to manipulate what we pay attention to each day. What is this, and how is it harmful? This post will be the first on a series on the topic.

Why is attention so important?

When people use Facebook, they use it for free. Facebook generally doesn’t even try to sell them anything, yet has billions in revenues. What, then, is Facebook’s product?

Well, really, it’s you. Or, more specifically, your attention. Facebook sells your attention to advertisers. Everything they do is in service to that. They want you to spend more time on the site so they can show you more ads.

(I should say here that I’m using Facebook as an example, but this applies to other social media companies too.)

Seeking to maximize attention

So if your attention is so important to their profit, it follows naturally that they would seek ways to get people to spend more time on their site. And they do. They track all sorts of metrics, including “engagement” (if you click “like”, comment, share, or otherwise interact with content). They know which sorts of things are likely to capture your (and I mean you in specific!) attention and show you that. Your neighbor may have different interests and Facebook judges different things are likely to capture their attention.

Manipulating your attention

Attention turning into money isn’t unique for social media. In fact, in the article If It Bleeds, It Leads: Understanding Fear-Based Media, Psychology Today writes:

In previous decades, the journalistic mission was to report the news as it actually happened, with fairness, balance, and integrity. However, capitalistic motives associated with journalism have forced much of today’s television news to look to the spectacular, the stirring, and the controversial as news stories. It’s no longer a race to break the story first or get the facts right. Instead, it’s to acquire good ratings in order to get advertisers, so that profits soar.

News programming uses a hierarchy of if it bleeds, it leads. Fear-based news programming has two aims. The first is to grab the viewer’s attention. In the news media, this is called the teaser. The second aim is to persuade the viewer that the solution for reducing the identified fear will be in the news story. If a teaser asks, “What’s in your tap water that YOU need to know about?” a viewer will likely tune in to get the up-to-date information to ensure safety.

You’ve probably seen fear-based messages a lot on Facebook. They will highlight messages to liberals about being afraid of what Trump is doing, and to conservatives about being afraid of what Biden is doing. They may or may not even intentionally be doing this; it is their algorithm predicts that those would maximize time and engagement for certain people, so that’s what they see.

Fear leads to controversy

It’s not just fear, though. Social media also loves controversy. There’s nothing that makes people really want to stay on Facebook like anger. See something controversial and you’ll see hundreds or thousands of people are there arguing about it — and in the process, giving Facebook their attention. A quick Internet search will show you numerous articles on how marketing companes can leverage controvery to get attention and engagement with their campaigns.

Consequences of maximizing fear and controversy

What does it mean to society at large — and to you personally — that large companies make a lot of money by maximizing fear and controversy?

The most obvious way is it leads to less common ground. If the posts and reactions that show common ground are never seen because they don’t drive engagement, it poisons the well; left and right hate each other with ever more vigor — a profitable outcome to Facebook, but a poisonous one to all of us.

I have had several friendships lost because I — a liberal in agreement with these friends on political matters — still talk to Trump voters. On the other side, we’ve seen people storm the Michigan statehouse with weapons. How did that level of disagreement — and even fear behind it — get so firmly embedded in our society? Surely the fact that social media shows us things designed to stimulate fear and anger must play a role.

What does it do to our ability to have empathy for, and understand, others? The Facebook groups I’ve been in for like-minded people have largely been flooded with memes calling the President “rump” and other things clearly designed to make people angry or fearful. It’s a worthless experience, and not just that, but it’s a harmful experience.

When our major media — TV and social networks — all are optimizing for fear, anger, and controvesry, we have a society beholden to fear, anger, and controvesy.

In my next installment, I’m going to talk about what to do about this, including the decentralized social networks of the Fediverse that are specifically designed to put you back in charge of your attention.

Update 2020-12-16: There are two followup articles for this: how to join the Fediverse and non-creepy technology purchasing and gifting guides. The latter references the FSF’s page on software manipulation towards addiction, which is particularly relevant to this topic.

https://changelog.complete.org/archives/10119-how-the-attention-economy-hurts-you-via-social-media-sites-like-facebook

#anger #facebook #fear #fediverse #socialmedia

Managing depression requires you to mind your media intake.

News programming uses a hierarchy of. "if it bleeds, it leads." If you live with depression, read on for why fear-based media may not be good for your mental health.

^{Deborah Serani Psy.D. (Psychology Today)}

Twitter wants your government ID and biometric data. No this isn't clickbait. X, I know, X has introduced new verification requirements for Blue users where they must submit a selfie and a picture of their government-issued ID.

I'm going to split this video into two parts. The first part looks at the real reason why Elon wants this data. The second part looks at, if we ignore the real reasons he wants the data... why we shouldn't give it to him.

Subscribe - http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0HAW8tgFA_xEmeUupuRwiA?sub_confirmation=1

Chapters -

📺 0:00 - Intro - Why is Elon Musk asking Twitter Blue users to submit their government ID's
📺 0:38 - Part 1 - The real reason Elon Musk is asking Twitter Blue users to share their government IDs.
📺 2:46 - Part 2 - Twitter X's proposed verification system for Blue Users

OTHER VIDEOS -

Facebook -

👉 The Evil Business Model of WhatsApp - https://youtu.be/YumfmeBYPhQ
👉 How Facebook uses your period data to sell you stuff - https://youtu.be/WazCiuVKlbY
👉 Facebook Shadow Profiles explained - https://youtu.be/sR8M8hZxuPo
👉 Every toxic thing Facebook did in 2021 - https://youtu.be/aRWB81qrzts
👉 Can Facebook be forced to delete the algorithm? Yes, here's why. https://youtu.be/fHZftxVdeGM

Amazon -

👉 Amazon Go's toxic longterm plan - https://youtu.be/YQCpHVWxUrE
👉 Every toxic thing Facebook did in 2021 - https://youtu.be/ha4_2GS2_HA

Twitter -

👉 Why is Twitter so toxic - https://youtu.be/lT7e_P8rfuk

Everything else -

👉 Why Tinder ruined your dating life - https://youtu.be/pNR2We-Srro
👉 The Rise of Dark Patterns - https://youtu.be/cjMbtDcHL7k
👉 All the privacy issues in Clubhouse app - https://youtu.be/HfZJZl22mg0
👉 8 counter-arguments to common privacy misconceptions - https://youtu.be/7RcjYdn3I5U
👉 You're wrong about the value of NFTs - https://youtu.be/zfPYMRbSne4
👉 How social media has changed how we talk - https://youtu.be/gZ-nW2kRkuY
👉 Here's why you don't read the terms of service - https://youtu.be/zni2DiCQ7rU

————————————

💬 let's chat about data / privacy / the internet on Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/TheInternetExplorers
💬 I've also got a Discord - https://discord.gg/rGcht3SJyV
✍️ Follow on Twitter http://Twitter.com/Thismademecool
📧 Join the mailing list - https://bit.ly/30eHZ7I
✨ Join the internet explorers on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/SimonCaine
🎧 My podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ask-the-industry-podcast/id946220937

————————————

All elements were created by me, comedian Simon Caine.

————————————

#socialmedia #2023predictions #comedy

————————————

My gear (affiliate links)

Camera - https://amzn.to/2YezaZl
Lens - https://amzn.to/2Y1yjuQ
Ring light/stand - https://amzn.to/3gTKhiI
Software - https://amzn.to/2Y449Hr
Graphic Tablet - https://amzn.to/3gOXGbX
Green screen - https://amzn.to/3ePYD1H
Phone - https://amzn.to/323MtPF

————————————

This is the best for the algorithm... no need to read it (I've been told it's important / helpful)

Simon Caine is an English award-winning comedian, writer, author, podcaster and human based in Edinburgh Scotland. He makes a video a week, released every Sunday.

Over the last decade, he's performed all over the world, from London to NYC to Australia. His most recent show "every room becomes a panic room when you overthink enough" got 5* reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe where he sold out the run.

Previously he opened for Trevor Lock, Ben Miller and Henry Ginsberg as well as gigged on the same bill as people like Terry Alderton, Mark Dolan, Matthew Crosby and Bec Hill.

He's been featured in the Huffington Post “Tweets of the Week” feature several times and had jokes/writing appeared in The Poke and other publications. He hates writing in the third person.