Right, fediverse, let me know what you think.
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Actually, here’s what I really think is lacking: a hide post moderation option in Mastodon.
Instead of deleting posts, moderators should be able to hide posts.
Posts that are hidden by moderators should keep their place in the timeline but state publicly that they were hidden by moderators.
(Servers other than the originating server must treat hidden posts as otherwise deleted and remove their local cache of the content. This is no different to the existing social contact for federated deletes.)
The server should also clearly communicate to the person in question (this can be automated) that their post has been hidden and that they can challenge the decision via regular channels by filing an appeal. (And, if they don’t like the moderation, they can move to a different server, etc., as per usual.)
That would feel much better to me than deleting a post outright and it can be combined with a moderation policy that promises not to delete or edit other people’s posts.
It would also allow for an appeal process and the possible reinstatement of a post should it be found that a moderation error has occurred.
#mastodon #moderation #fediverse #postDeletion #postHiding #authorship #censorship #ownership
@aral I'm leaning towards what you've described here.
Deletion of the content but not the existence of the post. If I go to your profile it should be representative of your posts. A version of your profile sans the posts my instance chooses to moderate just misrepresents you and the conversations you're in.
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@aral I'm leaning towards what you've described here.
Deletion of the content but not the existence of the post. If I go to your profile it should be representative of your posts. A version of your profile sans the posts my instance chooses to moderate just misrepresents you and the conversations you're in.
@aral I also think it'd make sense if moderators could add content warnings to posts. Minor difference in instance rules: content warning. Against instance rules but generally acceptable elsewhere: hiding. Then suspension being last resort.
I thought maybe this already existed though it sounds like it's been up for discussion for awhile:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/1307 -
Actually, here’s what I really think is lacking: a hide post moderation option in Mastodon.
Instead of deleting posts, moderators should be able to hide posts.
Posts that are hidden by moderators should keep their place in the timeline but state publicly that they were hidden by moderators.
(Servers other than the originating server must treat hidden posts as otherwise deleted and remove their local cache of the content. This is no different to the existing social contact for federated deletes.)
The server should also clearly communicate to the person in question (this can be automated) that their post has been hidden and that they can challenge the decision via regular channels by filing an appeal. (And, if they don’t like the moderation, they can move to a different server, etc., as per usual.)
That would feel much better to me than deleting a post outright and it can be combined with a moderation policy that promises not to delete or edit other people’s posts.
It would also allow for an appeal process and the possible reinstatement of a post should it be found that a moderation error has occurred.
#mastodon #moderation #fediverse #postDeletion #postHiding #authorship #censorship #ownership
@aral @staff @haubles I'm not sure which impact actually hits worse - having one of your post deleted, or your account suspended for the time being. If you are only going to reinstate the account once the author deleted their post, then the result is the same, just with extra steps.
Given the federated nature of this network, I'm rather relaxed about free speech/censoring issues.
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Actually, here’s what I really think is lacking: a hide post moderation option in Mastodon.
Instead of deleting posts, moderators should be able to hide posts.
Posts that are hidden by moderators should keep their place in the timeline but state publicly that they were hidden by moderators.
(Servers other than the originating server must treat hidden posts as otherwise deleted and remove their local cache of the content. This is no different to the existing social contact for federated deletes.)
The server should also clearly communicate to the person in question (this can be automated) that their post has been hidden and that they can challenge the decision via regular channels by filing an appeal. (And, if they don’t like the moderation, they can move to a different server, etc., as per usual.)
That would feel much better to me than deleting a post outright and it can be combined with a moderation policy that promises not to delete or edit other people’s posts.
It would also allow for an appeal process and the possible reinstatement of a post should it be found that a moderation error has occurred.
#mastodon #moderation #fediverse #postDeletion #postHiding #authorship #censorship #ownership
I still think moderators should have the nuclear option of deleting a post.
I have, occasionally, had to report transphobic abuse from throwaway accounts in the hope that a moderator will delete it before the intended target sees it. A "message hidden" notification would give the target a pretty strong indication that she'd been abused. I'd prefer it if she didn't even know.
(Yes, she: in my limited experience, it's always been women who were on the receiving end of this garbage.)
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@aral I voted "delete" before I read this and would revise my opinion to "should be able to hide permanently from everyone except the author"
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@aral I'm leaning towards what you've described here.
Deletion of the content but not the existence of the post. If I go to your profile it should be representative of your posts. A version of your profile sans the posts my instance chooses to moderate just misrepresents you and the conversations you're in.
@BenjaminNelan @aral People who follow a person should be treated differently. If you want that sort of content, you probably want the posts the moderator has problems with. Sine there's a server's public timeline, you can curate that with way more rigor than the individual timeline.
Most complaints are “I don't like what you say”, and the people who don't like what someone else says often try to create heated exchange first and then file complaint on the heat they caused themselves. Therefore, if you get a complaint, look at the exchange before, and if it's such a case, hide the messages that created the heat.
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Right, fediverse, let me know what you think. Long-form comments also welcome.
Mastodon instance moderators should…
@aral Suspend the account: yes. Delete the post: no.
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Right, fediverse, let me know what you think. Long-form comments also welcome.
Mastodon instance moderators should…
@aral
Ask people to delete their post with reasons why. If they refuse then delete but there should be more than one moderator. I've seen folks posts that were deleted that didn't seem in anyway problematic -
@aral I, a non-moderator, want the power to delete OTHER people's posts.
I am a good kitty and can be trusted with this power

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(Personally, option 1 feels like a violation to me – content belongs to the author not to the host and moderators should no more be deleting other people’s posts than they should be editing them – while option 2 – especially combined with a limit and/or suspension or the threat thereof – is well within the rights of the host regardless of whether I agree with the actual moderation decision itself. Option 1 feels like censorship while option 2 – while it could easily constitute censorship – feels more like moderation to me.)
@aral Mastodon servers and the moderators are providers of a service. By being on that server you essentially agree to their terms. It is not a public broadcasting service (which never really exists) where you have the right to post anything. Nor does anyone's post automatically have a right to be seen by everyone.
Of course if you don't like the moderation then move or start your own instance.
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Right, fediverse, let me know what you think. Long-form comments also welcome.
Mastodon instance moderators should…
@aral I've been Mayor of https://dobbs.town since December 2018. The few times I've asked a SubGenius to re-consider a post, they have (or rage-quit, which solves the problem in a different way). I'm not sure that I've ever deleted a single post.
Related: Reports without a call to action may be considered for information purposes only. "Remove this post" is a call to action. "That SubGenius is a jerk" may be true but is not a call to action.
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