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There's much talk about "Embrace - Extend - Extinguish" regarding #Meta, and I agree, it's a very real threat and something they will try to do sooner or later. However, I don't think that fediblocking their servers will stop that from happening - it could actually help them. Let me explain.

We can't stop Meta from using #ActivityPub. We knew that when we adopted an open protocol. Even if every single server blocks them, they can still use ActivityPub if they want. They already have a huge userbase from Instagram, and they will also pay celebrities to use their service. They don't rely on content from the rest of the Fediverse for their plan to work. They're not aiming for the anti-centralization crowd.

So, one way this could play out is: Everyone blocks them, and then they have another reason to lock their users in. Those who use their platform and have friends and accounts they follow there, won't have anywhere to go if the rest of the #Fediverse blocks them. So they will instantly be the biggest ActivityPub platform, and they can do whatever they want without any competition or alternatives.

Or - their users could see in practice that they don't have to view their ads, they don't have to rely on them, they don't have to eat their sketchy algorithms and give them their data, because they can follow the same accounts from any fedi server. Of course they have the money and power to lock users in with various ways. But this way users will see they have choices.

I'm worried that the discussion these days revolves around the pattern: "Are you against Meta? Then you have to block them!". And if you don't intend to necessarily block them, then that means you are not so much against them, that you are willing to give them a chance to prove they have good intentions etc. That you think that, if Meta is on fedi, then they'll be cool.

I have absolutely no second thoughts about what Meta is. They are capitalist snakes and they will shit on everything you love for profit. I am not giving them any chance to prove otherwise, I know what they are. And I intend to keep saying that. If they use ActivityPub, I will be saying that directly to their users, on their platform, but from my server - not giving them anything. I will probably be saying to a lot of people "What the hell are you still doing there? Come over here!". The fact that I'll be able to tell them from another platform, will be proof that there is indeed no reason for them to stay on Meta. I've tried converting facebook users, most of them were never really interested because they want to stay in touch with certain people that are on Meta's platform. Let's see how it will be when they will actually be able to do just that.

The war for Meta's userbase is just around the corner. I do not intend to avoid it by blocking them. I won't move to Meta's platform anyway - I didn't leave facebook to go back to them on fedi. I hope you won't either.

We might lose. But we will fight. Screw Meta. Let's show their users they have options. Don't forget that most of us had or still have accounts on mainstream social. I can't wait to show what we've been building here to even more people. Bring it on!

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