this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2023
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There's nothing "hidden" about the dangers of the fediverse. They're there, and even obvious really, for anyone with the wit to see them.
It's a funny thing really, because one of the recurring things I see people say about the fediverse is that it reminds them of the early days of the internet - just people sharing stuff with people, without this whole layer of corporate scumbags squatting over everything, trying to extract profit.
And another of the hallmarks of the early days of the internet was that it was commonly understood that the ONLY person who could protect your privacy was you, and that you accomplished that by not being a dumbass.
It's really a very simple concept - if there's information about yourself that you don't want to be public property, YOU DON'T SHARE IT.
And if there's information about yourself that you don't want to be public property and you go ahead and share it anyway, well... you're a dumbass.
But somewhere along the way - somewhere between those early days of which the fediverse is reminiscent and today - we moved into an era in which the standard way to interact with the internet is to be a dumbass and share virtually everything, then go "Waaahh! Somebody needs to protect my privacy!"
No - you just need to stop being a dumbass.
Yes - the fediverse, due to its decentralized structure, is and will likely continue to be a threat to dumbasses, because there is no central authority that can be meaningfully tasked with protecting them from the consequences of their own dumbass actions or sanctioned for not doing so.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.
A counterpount: You can be a young user and not realize yet how wide is public sharing, you may be in an altered state (griefing, drunk) or be pushed around by disability (adhd, or other cognitive impairements). IMO these are not all qualifying as "being a dumbass".
Additionnally, it's possible nobody is able to correctly predict the future. Are your thoughts today going to cause you grief tommorrow, in a year, in 10? How about you post today about how good the orange juice you had was, but that is later on an excuse to put you in a labor camp with others due to the fact that eating fruits is now seen as unholy and that you are a sinner, in need of correction?
There is a balance to be struck between "all is public and it is your own fault", and privacy nightmare. There should be some teaching happening. As somebody else mentions, having a habbit to use Matrix for DMs and more personal matters is one of these good habbits.
Everyone who grew up with the early internet were in those kinds of danger. It is up to the parents to ensure their kid acts responsibly on the internet, not everyone else’s. If you cannot be sure your child knows how to safely and properly navigate the internet you shouldn’t give them access to it. Teaching people responsibility and that there are consequences to their actions they cannot always fully grasp is an important cautionary lesson people need to learn.