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@_elena ...and another recent reason: #cashtags on #bluesky https://www.heise.de/en/news/Not-the-community-s-wishes-Bluesky-brings-live-stream-display-and-Cashtags-11143599.html

@_elena Bit too late for me, I'm already subscribed to the "all US official accounts" block list.

@_elena

I'm curious, why does it matter if blocking bluesky is public or not?

@_elena This is also true about Mastodon*, but Mastodon actively tries to hide that fact from users and muddy the waters.

* It's technically hidden to users but not the admins of the instances involved, but if you're a gov agency, you're presumably on your own instance, as seems to be the custom here for the "big players."

@_elena idrc if someone can see me blocking ICE. why is this a big deal for people outside of the US?

@_elena so but, what about people living outside of the US? They can happily block ICE all day long without being affected in any way, right?
End world happen if the list of accounts blocking ICE would be flooded with masses of foreign accounts? Just curious ~

@_elena you know pixelating is pointless since you explain how to see the original list, don't you.

@_elena
@corbden

I am fully aware of the block vs. mute functionality, and I have blocked them not just for my own convenience reading, but to raise a significant barrier to harassment and protect the people with whom I speak also.

In fact, I subscribe to eva.computer's blocklist for all federal accounts (other than NOAA, NWS, CPSC, and the Federal Reserve) along with thousands of other people, which handled it automatically.

Blocking protects your friends, not just your eyes.

@_elena gross. fuck bsky

@_elena there are some moderation lists for far right accounts that contain them by now, like https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jagldyome3h27twtp46nxen7/lists/3kkqze5ftwk2h
subscribing to a list like that can block all its users, giving some cover as to why a user has that ICE account blocked
but yeah, bluesky leadership is not doing great at basic social decency 😔

@_elena wouldn't you *want* ice to see how unpopular they are? How hated they are? Wouldn't you want people to know that you don't fuck with ice? I feel like I'm missing something

@_elena
What the hell - why would this be public information? Do they WANT to encourage abuse?
@dgoldsmith

@_elena @mayintoronto I deleted BlueSky last Sept it not worth

@_elena

I would also like to note that ICE is not a normal government agency. In my opinion, a normal government agency should be active on social media, at least if its goal is to be a relevant network. However, there are plenty of cases where state police have arrested ICE "officers" for acting without legal basis in their states. It is therefore not a normal agency, but an organization that acts unlawfully and is only protected by state authority, bypassing the American legal system.

@_elena
Why tf does it show who blocks a user? Is that a standard feature of bsky?

@_elena Good advice. I do the same here. That way it is a private personal choice.

@_elena Being outside the US and having no intentions to ever go there, I *have* blocked them.

@_elena I’m outside their jurisdiction. I want them to see they are getting blocked.

@_elena the best bet is to delete bluesky.

@_elena @pluralistic I found I had already blocked it through one of the lists I’m subscribed to.

Anyway, blocking the gestapo is the minor or the sins they would find in my TL.

@_elena

strongly disagree;

"The safest bet" is to leave bluesky and create a fedi instance with the software of your choice.

wink smiley.

@_elena "I will just block it" doesn't solve the problem of the social media platform you enrich by posting on approving of a local gestapo

@_elena this is pretty stupid lol

@_elena and what about subscribing to block lists? There are block lists for fascism ... as dangerous for US people?

@_elena

I blocked the entire bsky.brid.gy instance as well as blocking the bridge bot.

@_elena If you're outside the United States, make sure to write to your politicians to tell them you don't want your nation's security and immigration working with ICE! Wearing masks and shooting innocent civilians, threatening violence and terrorising the general population, these are not the behaviors of a legitimate law enforcement agency.

@_elena
It's weird that one's blocks are visible on Bluesky. However, what's so bad if ICE knows one has blocked them?

@_elena Everything on Bsky is public

They don’t care about privacy

@_elena Wow!

@_elena friends don't let friends use the tools of our oppressors

@_elena can we call it brownshirtsky now?

@_elena I wouldn’t use any US service for talking about ICE right now. They’ve got full Palantir coverage on it. Absolutely no doubt on my mind.

@_elena

Damn. Hopefully this gets a wave of people to quit bluesky and join fedi - if ICE was on fedi, the majority of decent instance hosts would just block them outright, so their users wouldn't have to worry.

@_elena That was the reason for deleting my account 5 minutes before.

@_elena
There is no privacy on bluesky or any other application hosted in US.
US government can request data anytime.

I'm well aware that posting this info on the Fediverse seems like a pointless exercise, but it's to raise awareness and spread the word to people active in BOTH places.

I was never really active on #Bluesky and entirely stopped using it months ago but there's no point in posting this info there because I have zero reach. Or rather: 1100+ followers and 1-2 likes (at best!) and zero comments for any post. It's like I'm shadow-banned.

If you use it and enjoy it no judgement but please be safe!

@_elena I will never understand this decision. I’ve seen people say it’s just due to how ATProtocol works. But surely there’s a way they could have implemented blocks and have them private.

@_elena Great advice ❤️

@_elena
Better:
Leave for a better neighbourhood