Unsubscribing tags.pub from Open Registration Relays

A relay server is a server that collects public content from many Fediverse servers and distributes it to the other servers. tags.pub , the global hashtag server run by the Social Web Foundation, can follow relay servers and boost any tagged content coming from the connected servers. Especially for relay servers that gather together content from lots of small servers, this can help connect people with others who share their interests on the Fediverse.

However, some people have said they were surprised by the boosts, since they hadn’t directly connected their server to tags.pub. To avoid this, tags.pub is now unsubscribed from the open registration relay servers it was previously using. If your content is no longer being boosted, you can still connect your account or your server directly to tags.pub. tags.pub may subscribe to relay servers in the future, but we’ll coordinate with the relay server admins first to make sure there are fewer surprises.

@evanprodromou

I don't understand all the ins and outs of the discussion or what tags.pub is doing exactly, but it seems to me that instead of deciding between opt-in and opt-on, one could go for an "ask for" model of consent?

The first time pubs.tag would usually boost a post, it sends a reply/private mention instead that goes like "hey we are X and want to boost your post and do Y for the purpose of Z. Like this post to consent to this or find out more about how this works at www...."

@evanprodromou I'm going to say this slowly and simply so your tech bro brain will get it:

We. Don't. Want. Your. Fucking. Bots.

FUCK. OFF.

@evanprodromou Are you autistic, bro? Serious question. Because you are COMPLETELY MISSING THE SOCIAL CUES THE NETWORK IS GIVING YOU.

@wyatt_h_knott @evanprodromou let me ask you: when you post something with a tag, do you expect that everyone in the Fediverse will be able to find that post?

If I don’t follow you, directly, and you post something with #FediverseHOA or #AdHominemIsMyFavoriteLogicalFallacy or #HyperboleIsMyLoveLanguage do you think I should be able to find those posts if I search for those tags?

@mick @evanprodromou I expect people who have access to tags can see those tags, but also I expect to be able to use those tags to make filters to exclude content. I do not actually give a fuck if everyone can see my posts that use tags, I'm actually more interested in being able to search certain tags to find specific stuff. If there was a way to let people on small servers see tags WITHOUT your repost bullshit, I'd be for that. But putting my work on your server under another account is theft.

@mick you get that I'm not obliged to provide my content to anyone just because they desire to see something in the same general category, right?

It's like you're telling a woman you love her, and therefore she is expected to have feelings back. She is not.

@evanprodromou

@mick @evanprodromou Let me ask you this in return: how is it that mastodon went through such extensive hoops to give people control of quote toots and yet you think you can just essentially quote toot my work out from under me without giving me any pre-post control? opt-out is not pre-post control, no matter how you frame it. And reposting my content under another account DELETES MY ABIILITY TO CONTROL WHO CAN QUOTE ME, which is literally against mastodon's policy.

@wyatt_h_knott did I just steal your work?

I just boosted this public post you made. It now appears on my server, boosted from my account.

The over-the-top righteous indignation you’re bringing to this discussion might be keeping you from fully considering the argument you’re making.

@mick no, because not only do I get a chance to see you boosting it, but I now have the option to do as I like with your account,m which in this case is to mute you so you have to listen to me but I don't have to listen to you.

Your kind of copy theft is exactly what has reduced my engagement with posting art. You're contributing to making this a worse place. Good job.

@wyatt_h_knott use of capital letters does not make something true.

The system respects your post privacy settings.

Furthermore, tags.pub is opt-in. Or it was. It’s configured at the server level.

Connecting it to relays was a mistake, because it assumes consent from all servers connected to the relay, rather than making that choice explicit server-by-server.

The announcement of this error being corrected is where you chose to come and attack the person who’s fixed it.

@wyatt_h_knott I submit that assuming the worst of people, engaging with them angrily, resorting to personal attacks without a full understanding of the facts degrades our discourse, and is what makes this a worse place.

@mick@cosocial.ca don't worry @wyatt_h_knott@mstdn.social is wrong on all counts as usual for this type of response.