Notices by Jerry Bell :verified_paw: :donor: :verified_dragon: :rebelverified:​ (jerry@infosec.exchange)

People can be so kind to moderators when they dislike a moderation decision.

Also, other #mastoadmins may want to be wary of this person.

Yeeted from .space and still being very kind

Eevee is helping with post processing

I feel like there have been more IT workers laid off in the past year than there were IT workers 10 years ago. Totally unscientific observation

Remember, if you’re cold, they’re cold. Bring them inside

I trust everyone is having a super productive day at work today, right?

The palm trees are decked out for the holidays

Welcome to the official start of the Christmas/winter holiday season!🎄

I just read another news article about why mastodon didn’t make it and is dying. It’s very sad to hear and probably explains why I have to keep adding more server capacity to handle all the people quitting mastodon.

For people new to the fediverse/mastodon: there are some strong customs and strong personalities. I can make a few important quality of life recommendations to give you a more pleasant experience:

In your account settings, go to filters and add a filter to block the following words:
Nazi
Fash
Fascism
Fascist
Twitter
Reddit
Elon
Musk
Defederate
Fediblock

There’s a lot of name-calling and protracted and unproductive discussions using these words. Certainly it’s up to you, but this is my recommendation.

We strongly encourage you to add alt text to any images you post, and if for some reason you do not, you’ll likely be met with many replies all reminding you, with varying levels of intensity, that you forgot. I recommend blocking any account who is rude about it.

Some times you may post something important to you that causes others to be uncomfortable without a content warning. Similarly, you can expect replies of varying politeness asking you to “add a CW”. Things that are patently offensive or not safe for work definitely should have a content warning for obvious reasons, but other than that, use your discretion. Again, I recommend simply blocking people who are too aggressive in their replies related to CWs.

Follow your instance’s rules.

You will rightly be bounced for expressing hate, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or unwanted harassment. There is no place for that - don’t do it here. I can’t tell you what to think, but if you want to post hateful or harassing content, you should find another platform somewhere else. It isn’t hard to be kind. Or at least not an ass.

The fediverse is all about delegating control to instances and end users. We have many tools available, like muting and blocking accounts, and blocking entire instances, as well as muting conversations. These are very useful to have a good time on the fedi.

Be well and be kind.

@agektmr it is down

This is the evil device that shoots freaking lasers at people on the beach.

I’m not much one for sharing TikTok videos here, but this one seems like one that will be taught in history classes some day

I decided to cross the two incredibly annoying streams and asked chatgpt about twitter sms 2FA:

Q: Was it a good idea for twitter to make sms two factor authentication a paid feature?

A: Twitter's decision to make SMS-based two-factor authentication (2FA) a paid feature is a matter of debate. Twitter announced the change in 2019, stating that they were making the move to encourage users to switch to more secure methods of 2FA, such as using an authentication app.

While SMS-based 2FA is better than no 2FA at all, it has been shown to have some vulnerabilities. For example, SMS messages can be intercepted by attackers, and SIM swapping attacks can be used to bypass SMS-based 2FA.

By making SMS-based 2FA a paid feature, Twitter is likely hoping to encourage users to switch to more secure methods of 2FA, which will ultimately help to protect their accounts better. However, this move may also make it more difficult for some users, particularly those in developing countries, to access 2FA, which could have negative consequences.

In general, it is recommended that users switch to more secure 2FA methods, such as an authentication app or security key, as these are generally more secure than SMS-based 2FA. However, it is important for platforms to consider the needs and limitations of all of their users, and to provide alternative, accessible 2FA methods for those who cannot afford to pay or who lack the technical expertise to use more secure methods.

@feld twillio’s stated rate is $0.0079 per sms message. So, figure 80% volume discount gives $0.00158 per sms. If 100,000,000 bot accounts each generated 1 sms messages in a month, that is $158,000.

A few days ago, it came to my attention that one of the people on our instance appeared to be having a breakdown. We had to walk the line between making a situation (much) worse and trying to help a fellow human. I understand that people on the fediverse may at times loose the sense that there are (usually) real people behind the keyboard of accounts and that all decisions should be simple and straightforward. That isn’t the case.

Now that that situation is defused a bit, I took a look at the complaints and posts by the individual and his behavior and concluded that he doesn’t fit here and have suspended him.

To those that want to block us or leave because of my decisions, ✌️

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: you may not like everything I do, but I try hard to be caring and compassionate to other people in all interactions.

❤️

@SpaceLifeForm @aral @ariadne @mastohost yep. Let me know if you’re looking for help.

PSA for for pretty much everyone, even those who aren’t new - there is another mass migration underway. Meaning lots of accounts are being created on instances all across the fediverse, and the people behind those accounts are exploring, introducing themselves, and so on. Some instances handle this load better than others.

PLEASE NOTE: while you can migrate an account to a new instance and your followers will move with you, however doing so during times like this may cause that to not work correctly.

Please be patient with instances that are have trouble keeping up. They will get it under control. We are all doing the best we can. Most all instances are funded by donations from members. If you are able, look at your instance’s /about page and consider donating.