like, on matrix or something 😄

Yep, “she” sent me identical, unsolicited messages from three different profiles. Seems it got stamped out though.

Is there any real benefit to deleting the account?

I will no longer be using Instagram or regularly checking it.

I think you answered part of the question there: An inactive account is just bait for you to return and be sucked back in by the network effect. That’s basically what “not regular checking” implies — that you may check less often but still log in occasionally.

On the other hand, deleting the account sends a message to Meta (who don’t care about you individually, but mass exodus will be noticeable on their bottom line) and more importantly spur your contacts to move as well. Also, you make up your mind instead of keeping the abusive relationship with Meta an option.

Edited to add: Orphaned, unmonitored accounts are often the source of pwned passwords, which makes them an attack vector especially if you’re not using strong, individual passwords for different sites. /end edit.

Impersonation is a tiny but possible risk, I guess — depending on how valuable you would be as a mark for scammers. Most people probably wouldn’t even be on their radar. It’s not something I would take into account, especially as Facebook and Instagram become less trustworthy or secure platforms in and of themselves.

So yes, there are benefits, per OP’s point about first movers motivating others — and showing decisive action rather than leaving a door ajar (i.e. a dormant account) in case Zuckerberg shows slightly less oligarchic tendencies next week.

Same. I think it’s been 14 years since I left, and I haven’t regretted it. Then I quit LinkedIn and Google in quick succession, and my quality of life went through the roof.

My first thought was, how the hell are people still on Facebook?! 🤣

I see your point, but the most repeated reason/excuse for not leaving Meta (or other big tech platforms) is “I can’t, all my contacts are on there”. So the longer anybody stays on that dumpster fire, the more they add to the network effect.

My suggestion would be, announce that you’re leaving, posting links to where people can find you going forward, and log off for a couple of weeks’ grace period. Then login only to download your data and delete the account.

That way, you’ve given your contacts time to find your new profiles (and maybe their first glimpse of the fediverse), and you’re off the treadmill — the contacts who will miss you enough to follow you off FB are probably the ones worth keeping 😉

Edit: added a comma and closed a quotation for clarity.

There is probably no doubt that this at least in part has to do with the current political climate in the US, and I think there is a potential here to grow a US-centric org and try to establish instead a network of national organisations coordinating their efforts internationally.

This might — on a longer timescale than “by April we can’t pay our bills” — make for a broader field of potential funding from national, regional, and other grants applicable to local organisations. Certainly, the EU would be amenable to funding an organisation like IFTAS.

On another level this decentralisation would not only chime well with the nature of the fediverse (indeed, the internet), but also add a diversity of international perspectives to the IFTAS’ efforts.

This might also dispel the notion in some quarters that the internet is somehow a thing for North Americans to govern. From a European point of view — and certainly in my personal bubble, as a Scandinavian who does a lot if not most of my online communication in English — there has probably never been as much distrust in US decision making as now, and it might become IFTAS and other organisations to recognise that.

Once again, none of the above would solve IFTAS’ immediate finances, but if the org struggles through the lack of funding somehow, it might benefit from the broader perspectives.

Oh, surely you can trust internet strangers putting random stuff online to do the right thing.

So, in my understanding ActivityPub is fine for different forms of decentralised communication — what you’re suggesting sounds more to me like a generalised peer-to-peer network or distributed file storage (see DAT or IPFS)?

You’re technically right, although it does come with lightning/bitcoin integration — and a userbase of primarily cryptobros supplying the nonsense part.

Pffft, no. The fediverse does just fine without blockchain nonsense.

Not federated though, so not relevant?

It was LibreSignal. That was a small scale but public meltdown from Signal’s founder, however. “Signal” is already a common term and as such hard to claim sole rights over.

In the same github thread he, Moxie Marlinspike, also insisted that LibreSignal abstain from using Signal’s servers, which sort of defeats the purpose of a third party app. Signal’s initial federation with other servers was rolled back, which again paints an image of a budding data silo.

You’re right, Molly seems to have navigated the third party relationship better, perhaps because Marlinspike has been replaced with new leadership as well?

My ¢2 is this: At this point, with tech leaders making hard right political turns, or just idiosyncratic attacks like Wordpress’ Mullenweg, trust in centralised services should be at a minimum.

Signal already foisted a cryptocurrency (that, incidentally, Marlinspike had consulted on) on their users. Controversial self-serving isn’t new to the organisation, and with full control of a significant share of the private/secure IM market, it’s only a matter of time before their stewardship veers of track.

I’m not going to lie, “chatmail” made me snort 😄

Using mail protocols for chat always seemed like a natural, pragmatic solution to a problem that people have been overthinking for decades.

Back when I tried Delta first, it was a bit janky (can it really be 10+ years ago?), so I’m glad they’ve smoothed out the kinks and getting people onboard more easily.

Oh, cool. TBH I don’t think that’s a drawback, just customised to the very specific usage. So you get a ___@deltachat.org email or something?

Right? I did try Delta many years ago, and I really recommend using a new email account for it.

“Signal is better than WhatsApp” is certainly faint praise. Signal is centralised, and has historically been hostile to third party developers who dared play in their sandbox. Signal likes to flaunt their FLOSS and privacy cred, but it’s basically built as another data silo, and pretty aggressively protecting their “brand”.

It’s email, adapted to a chat UI.

This thread is such a beautiful example of freeze peach foghorns not giving a good damn about freedoms, they just want to force their bullshit on the biggest possible audience.

Gotta hand it to OP for the sizeable hole they dug themself in no time flat.

Will only accept apps about moon phases and burning human sacrifices in giant wicker effigies.

🍍🍕