Look at Reddit before the API bullshit. Tons of apps all having access to the same content, the apps devs didn't have control over what subreddit you had access to, they only have control over the UI used to access it and you could switch from one app to another, always using the same credentials because the frontend was independent from the backend.

Now imagine if the backend, the data storage (Reddit's servers), were decentralized. People would just pool resources to store the content and would have control over what they decide to store on their servers but wouldn't be able to influence the user experience because users would just be pulling content from all the servers.

So you could add 10TB of storage and not accept NSFW content, you would run filter tools to get rid of what might pass through the cracks (just like admins need to do now even on NSFW content free instances), but that would be it, your storage space would just be 10TB out of thousands of TB of database hosted on a ton of servers, open to the public.

Dumb backend, smart frontend. Users curate their experiences themselves (just like on Reddit) and are guaranteed to have access to all the federated content no matter which frontend they use because admins are taken out of the equation. Mods still exist, but they only have power over their communities, they are the people with the most power from a user perspective. There's no more instances, just one huge decentralized database accessible via a bunch of websites and apps and users would choose the one which offers them the UI/UX they prefer.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

People would just pool resources to store the content and would have control over what they decide to store on their servers but wouldn’t be able to influence the user experience because users would just be pulling content from all the servers.

How do you think they'd choose?

If no one is hosting a picture, or even a text post, how do they see it to decide if they want to host it?

And if it's already there, why does it need someone else to host it?

It just can't be both, and it kind of feels like you're trying to slap something together to circumvent what I pointed out about a host being legally liable for what they host...

you would run filter tools to get rid of what might pass through the cracks (just like admins need to do now even on NSFW content free instances

What do you mean by "get rid of" that isn't what you're complaining admins do?

Like, I 100% get what you're trying to say, explaining more in depth isn't making a difference. I'm saying that what you're suggesting doesn't make sense, not that I just can't understand it.

It doesn't logically make sense.

Edit:

As a thought experiment the closest to what you want would be a centralized server that just has "placeholders", I'm assuming you like crypto, so fuck it, we can make these block chains

Each placeholder only holds the location of the server of the account who made the post.

So when you browse, the place holder queries the account who made the post and serves it thru the client.

For comments you could have the person holding the post hold the placeholders for every comment, the comments themselves hosted by the account who made the comment.

That is feasible but there's a lot of issues that'll come up.

But I think that's what you're wanting, or at least something close to that and actually plausible. Anyway, this would result in every individual hosting their own content, and no one else being liable for anything someone else ever says/posts.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works -3 points 1 week ago

Except for backup purposes, why do you think I'm talking about everyone hosting everything? Hell, I hope you realize that the way Lemmy works now, instances are just copying other instances content and the issue you're talking about is a reality that could be circumvented by the solution I'm proposing?

You realize that's already how websites work, the content is spread over tens or hundreds of servers, they're just all owned by the same company.

What I mean by "get rid of" is that server admins need to use tools to clean up illegal content from their servers. Lemmy admins are doing that, right now, if they don't want to end up with CSAM on their server, even if they host an instance that doesn't allow NSFW content. Without using tools to clean up their server, NSFW content will end up on it.