@shiri @snarfed.org
If it's so fantastically easy to just drop a hashtag in your bio to block the bridge, why can't that method be used to *join* the bridge instead? We should be operating from a consent-first model. Folks already chose to avoid bluesky *by joining a network that isn't bluesky* and now this bridge is going to force them to actively reinforce that decision.
That's assuming they even know this bridge exists in the first place! As much discussion as there is about this thing right now, there are and always will be folks that don't know anything about the bridge in time to prevent it from touching them. This is going to be yet another complication that folks have to consider when they join the fediverse, which is already criticised for being very complicated for new users.
The fediverse already support over 100 different servers and applications, and at least a half a dozen protocols, and has over 46,000 servers on it. The fediverse is not just Mastodon and never was.
This was probably not explained when you signed up, but your posts are already federated with other networks and servers and applications.
@scott
I'm very much aware that the fediverse (and ActivityPub specifically) is a lot more than just Mastodon. I'm also very aware that the ActivityPub network does not, and will not, include bsky because bsky is using a brand new protocol that they developed to specifically *not* use ActivityPub. Their FAQ clearly states AT Protocol *is not ActivityPub*. Don't assume I'm completely ignorant of the most basically technical aspects of this system. https://atproto.com/guides/faq
@scott
Can you answer any of these questions, definitively?
- Can you block individual bsky users through this bridge?
- Can you report a bsky user for abuse and, if so, is there any way to send that report across to the host server, aka bsky?
- If you block the bsky bridge but your friend joins it and boosts your posts, is your post blocked from the bridge or sent across it?
Probably you can't because this isn't just another ActivityPub server that follows ActivityPub rules. It's something different that does it's own thing, ActivityPub rules be damned.
Can you block individual bsky users through this bridge?
Yes. Each user will have their own handle, just like an ActivityPub user. It would be something similar to
@[handle]@bsky.brid.gy for Mastodon, and [handle]@bsky.brid.gy for everyone else on ActivityPub.Can you report a bsky user for abuse and, if so, is there any way to send that report across to the host server, aka bsky?
It would work the same way it works now. I don't use Mastodon, but I was told that Mastodon users can report other Mastodon users, but cannot report ActivityPub users because ActivityPub does not support sending reports to other servers. You would have to get other ActivityPub platforms to adopt this before it would work outside of Mastodon.
This is a feature I would like to see. But it only works on Mastodon itself currently. But maybe the developer has plans that I am not aware of and has found a workaround for this.
If you block the bsky bridge but your friend joins it and boosts your posts, is your post blocked from the bridge or sent across it?
I don't have a definitive answer on this one. If you put a certain hash tag in your profile, the bridge won't pass on your posts. But boosts are a bit different than a post.
It would depend on how each platform implements boosts and blocks. If their platform creates a new post and quotes you, then probably not, since your friend would be the author of the post. If their platform just references the original post, then probably yes, it would be blocked since you are the author of the post.
Someone more technical that I would have to answer this one, but based on my understanding, it would depend on what software is being used and how they implemented boosts.
But the reality is, even if they were prevented from boosting you, they can quote you or even take a screenshot. Have you ever seen screenshots of posts from X or Facebook on Mastodon? Realistically, you can't stop someone who is determined to quote you. There are too many ways to circumvent any restrictions you try to put in place.
You won't have stuff that works only on Mastodon, but you would have every tool that works via ActivityPub.