this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2023
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But meta doesn't need a huge instance called meta to steal data from everyone else in the federation, they can just make an anonymous instance with a bot that subscribes to everything available and get it that way too. It's kinda the way the protocol works, this can't be solved by everyone just agreeing to block meta.
Sure, but you can't get investors interested in a bot. You can sell them a platform though. Meta will make the flashiest UI the fediverse has ever seen and sell that to investors, while harvesting and selling everything on the fediverse whether you use their platform or not. The only possible way to keep your data out of Meta's hands is to defederate anyone and everything associated with them. I know it sounds tinfoil hat, but honestly evaluate how Facebook does business and then imagine how ripe ActivityPub is for that sort of exploitation. If I used Facebook I have agreed to allow myself to be data mined, but if I use kbin I have not agreed, and yet, Meta can still do it if even one mutual server has agreed (or been paid) to federate to both platforms.
Ah, I thought you meant more as in selling user data for ML training purposes or advertising.
I dunno, maybe I'm too pessimistic but I don't see a way this ever works out in our favor, there will always be someone who doesn't care and just wants all the content. Just look at people being unable to get off reddit or twitter right now. When faced with a choice between sticking with 10% of the fediverse blocking meta, or 90% federating with them (since meta is probably going to be huge just by merit of being backed by billions of dollars), all their friends and companies and communities being on meta sites, there is no way they will choose to isolate themselves. It's how sites like reddit gained a monopoly in the first place, people just look for convenience and everything being in one place.
You're right of course. People will flock to Meta, it will probably become the poster boy of the Fediverse over a few years, and then little by little the evil will creep in until it's so established we just accept it, same as we've done with Facebook. The terrible thing is that it will not be something we can just op-out of. I can chose not to use Facebook. With this situation, I would have to chose not to use the entire ActivityPup protocol, not just Meta's platform.
It's a disaster waiting to happen. Like you said, I don't think we can do much, and even if we try, it'll fracture the whole fediverse concept. But when you ask "Why are people concerned about Meta using ActivityPub?" this is why.
It's still worth asking to clarify rather than guess, I wasn't sure what are we discussing and I got 3 different answers so far anyway - it's either about ruining the ethos, stealing the data and/or changing the protocol.
Let's just hope fediverse manages to get big enough before meta launches this so it manages to grow from the influx of new users rather than being stomped over completely. Or alternatively we get other big players into the fediverse too like google or MS, at which point they can fight between each other if they want to.
Honestly, it's probably all 3 and more we haven't even though of yet. I don't think anyone could have predicted all the scandals Facebook has been involved in regarding misuse of user data, and that was just on their own platform. ActivityPub literally hands them the keys to the castle. Add in all the toxic political stuff and.. it just makes my head hurt.
Anyway, I appreciate having the conversation with you. Discussing it has helped solidify my feelings about it.