A growing number of instances (mainly of Mastodon so far) are signing an ‘Anti-Meta Fedi Pact’, pledging to block any instance owned by Meta in the fediverse.
I don’t know how big this will get or how effective it will be, but if you run a fediverse instance, you should take a look at this https://fedipact.online/
I understand and share the negative sentiment towards them, but again, what it looks like they’re working on is a product that will connect to the Fediverse, it will not modify the ActivityPub protocol which is used for the open communication. From what I understand, any shenanigans they try to run would be limited to their instance, while we benefit from the added content they could provide.
I’m not saying let’s welcome them with open arms, I’m just saying it would be good to wait until we know anything about the product before we rush any decision, in the name of growing the Fediverse.
They could well try to pull the classic “embrace, extend, extinguish” move. Appear to embrace an open standard, then start writing proprietary extensions for it, and then use their clout to get everyone to stay on their network and abandon the open source version (because everyone’s on Meta’s network)
Perhaps then we should all federate with Gab and Truth and whatever instance DeSantis ends up spinning up to organize his brownshirts?
…in the name of growing the Fediverse, of course.
If—as I believe you do—you disagree with that proposition, then perhaps you hold there are certain standards of behavior which once seen do not necessitate further waiting. I would question if that is indeed the case why you seemingly do not believe Meta has already crossed that line.
I understand your desire for “success”, “acceptance”. “More potential friends” on our these frothy FOSSy seas. I do. I get that.
You are not wrong to want more people to join up.
Letting in Meta is not how you do that.
If you had a house party, and you wanted it "more bumpin’ " you might think the obvious answer is “More people = good so let in anyone who’s willing to attend.”
It is not.
Certain people—and specifically I’m thinking of Artie the Arsonist—need to be prevented from attending.
Not only should Artie and his shloshing gas can (which in fairness he has promised not to use) be turned away at the door, some of your trusted friends with guns should be stationed at either end of the street keeping Artie from coming anywhere near your party.
There should be a big giant, “ARTIES NOT ALLOWED” banner reassuring your guests (and future potential guests) that in addition to sweet tunes and chips, another reason to attend this party specifically is that they won’t be burned as they have been so many times by Artie and his friends.
Meta wanting in is not a sign of FOSS success.
We do not gain anything as the "not twitter"s, "not facebook"s of the world by allowing ourselves to be co-opted back into the sinking systems we escaped.
This is an attack, and the very idea of waiting and seeing by itself is damaging to FOSS—the main selling point of which thus far has been an Artie-absent space. Even considering letting him get close enough to sniff because “…maybe he won’t reek of gas” is offputting to many and damages the most valuable asset the fediverse has: having nothing to do with Those Fuckos Over There.
Assent of what FOSS is doing by the brokers/shakers it was designed in opposition to cannot change FOSS’s value because THEY do not determine that.
The people who would sell your eyeballs out your skull and plant He Gets Us chips into your brain need you. You do not need them.
You’re comparing two different things though. Of course I do not want to federate with Gab or Truth, however that is because I do not want to federate with their users. You are saying we should not federate with Meta, but because of their admins, not their users.
Should we not federate with lemmy.ml because their admins are pro Russia? Or is there value in the interactions we can have with their users?
Is there not a tiny possibility that the users Meta brings have a net positive effect over the admins in their instance? As I said, we still don’t know since we have literally no info about this product. You might be right in saying they will bring over hate speech and such, but I do not think every Booky McBookface will find their way to the Fediverse, and if they do THEN we can take a decision on federating with them or not.
That is flagrantly untrue. We know it is being made by Meta.
Not only is interacting with Meta qua interacting with Meta a harm to people who do it, a “wait and see” approach grants legitimacy to a known bad actor.
Are you of the opinion there is not a tiny possibility the heat given off by a fox might make the chickens in a hen house warmer?
You should still not even consider risking the death of all (or any) of your chickens.
Is there not a tiny possibility a tumor might make somebody’s tits look bigger?
You still try to prevent people rubbing cobalt on your chest.
No. There is not. 0% chance.
What I’m saying is…
Heghlu’meh QaQ dajaj!
Qapla’!
They don’t have to modify Activity Pub directly to cause chaos. The likely order of events that everyone is worried about it the 3E’s.
From wikipedia’s entry: