It's not computers, it's the latest drama here in the Fediverse.
Big frontend called Tessarect did a sneaky.
They made a hidden shadow-ban list of instances, users, and phrases, keeping it secret from users and admins by not including it in the open source code and instead loading it at runtime, and added in there all non-centrist (instances, users, and phrases) they could think of. They also lied about it, by claiming it to be a technical issue, when any user looked for the banned instances from the front-end, instead of calling it what it is, a targeted exclusion.
Essentially, hidden censorship, and sliminess.
To the degree that some people, (like OP here), have taken it as a badge of honor, that they are among the ones banned by name, in that list.
And some other people, are definitely not jealous.
Which are only blocked if the admin specifically asks for them to be.
In other words not hard-coded at all.
PieFed is quite opinionated, and the instance picker even more so, but the "hard-coded" arguments have long since been debunked (though last I checked, without being acknowledged by those who initially spread the story).
Also the flagship instance PieFed.social does block a lot, but that's as different as an instance is from software. Btw Lemmy.ml rather famously blocks a lot of content as well.
Whatever software you use, pick good instance admins that you feel reflect your values (or even self-host your own), and you'll enjoy your experience on the Threadiverse much better than being at odds with them.
Or they just love using the pipe operator cause it makes them feel like a real programmer. I honestly am so used to piping to grep I forget you can pass it file paths.
There's a popular frontend for Lemmy called "Tesseract". About a week ago the dev pushed an apparently malicious update with a block list which contains lots of leftist (as in even slightly left leaning) communities and users.
OP searched for and found his username in that block list.
The file OP searched in is "policy.json", which doesn't exist in the source code. The command pulls the content of the url decodes it from base64, unzips it and puts the content in policy.json. Which means the source code obfuscates the file by default.
Apparently they just blocked whoever didn't agree with the devs, it's mainly leftists but there are some rightist too, they blocked the word "Enlightened centrist" so the devs are for sure enlightened centrists and blocked whoever isn't
Like apparently it's not "leftist" per se (or trans or furry etc.) so much as extremist rhetoric, or even instances turning a blind eye towards same, for the sake of mainstream normies coming here from Reddit.
It would be like blocking pretentious people, then vegetarians decrying unfair/biased treatment.
Note that many leftists are not blocked, like I strongly doubt that slrpnk.net would be, it's primarily the more "militant" varieties.
From the looks of the list, basically nobody I can recognize, the people behind the list ( if it wasn't just the dev alone ) really has a hard on for a lot of people.
Same thing for website as well. A lot of sites that have either some genAI features or are about genAI/genAI tools or are genAI slop coded to the extreme. Actually fine with that because fuck genAI. But also gumroad, bit(dot)ly, wixsite, ceilingsanddryliningsupplies(dot)co(dot)uk ( literally looks like a completely innocent businesses website ), another innocent looking store ( distinctive Chesterfields ( furniture ) ), linktree, google forms & gemeni, and a lot more are also on the list.
The list feels all over the place and as nutty as can be.
So you should add me to your blocklist on your, what now seems to be closed source, UI @admiralpatrick@lemmy.world otherwise the "normies" might be exposed to my toxicity and violence. Chop chop, get to it!
Oh, but maybe tell the users that you have built in such a feature and let them decide on their own, it is generally considered toxic and dipshittery of the highest order to hide such things even from the admins and try to obfuscate it in the commits.
Well yeah, people are changing frontends and warned others that Tesseract has that kind of blocklist and they don't support it. If people that used the tool didn't find out until now, it's mostly a communication issue from the dev. And to the user that knows none the wiser, opinions that they would've accessed if not for using Tesseract are essentialy not available. The option to turn it off is essentially hidden, and the user can't find out that information is being blocked (as seen by the reaction it caused in the threadiverse). It's censorship by omission of information. Even if they had good intentions, the way they went about it failed to communicate what the blocklist was about, and that information was being blocked in the first place.
It's also just kind of a silly thing to implement in a client. That's the perspective the memes are coming from. Usually, blocklists should be left to the instance administrators or users. The client should only easily allow such a list to be available.
I don't really know if I was blocked nor do I really care. I'm just explaning why people were upset/making memes about it. It's shocking once one finds out about the blocklist, but kind of funny in retrospect.
80 Comments
VitoRobles@lemmy.today · 90 pts · 21d
Me not on the list:
Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 21d
I want to see if this small human still looks this angry when they grow up
PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S@anarchist.nexus · 45 pts · 22d
Ayyy I made the list 🥳. Honestly it feels like almost the whole-ass threadiverse is on the list 😆
DmMacniel@feddit.org · 25 pts · 22d
I'm not on the list :(
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 42 pts · 22d
Whoa whoa whoa non-listie..
Is that really how you want to be addressing someone on the list?
Whostosay@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 21d
Lmfao you're truly taking this for a ride and I'm here for it
HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 21d
You'll get there someday kid 👍 zooms off on cool-ass motorcycle
Cris_Citrus@piefed.zip · 4 pts · 21d
just @ AdmiralPatrick@dubvee.org and make your appeal to be on the list. Be sure to do it reeeeaaaallly politely and maybe he'll let you join 💗
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 21d
Get out.
IrateAnteater@sh.itjust.works · 33 pts · 22d
X@piefed.world · 29 pts · 21d
Cuz I'm a bad ass motherfuckin' DJ
This is why I walk and talk this way!
barkingspiders@infosec.pub · 27 pts · 22d
I work with computers and I have no idea what I am looking at here. Anyone have some context?
Daxter101@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 62 pts · 22d
It's not computers, it's the latest drama here in the Fediverse.
Big frontend called Tessarect did a sneaky.
They made a hidden shadow-ban list of instances, users, and phrases, keeping it secret from users and admins by not including it in the open source code and instead loading it at runtime, and added in there all non-centrist (instances, users, and phrases) they could think of. They also lied about it, by claiming it to be a technical issue, when any user looked for the banned instances from the front-end, instead of calling it what it is, a targeted exclusion.
Essentially, hidden censorship, and sliminess.
To the degree that some people, (like OP here), have taken it as a badge of honor, that they are among the ones banned by name, in that list.
And some other people, are definitely not jealous.
barkingspiders@infosec.pub · 17 pts · 22d
thank you kindly!
farngis_mcgiles@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 21d
so the same thing piefed did?
Daxter101@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 21d
Huh, haven't heard about that drama, what happened?
farngis_mcgiles@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 21d
piefed has hardcoded blocks for instances the dev doesn't like
OpenStars@discuss.online · 0 pts · 21d
Which are only blocked if the admin specifically asks for them to be.
In other words not hard-coded at all.
PieFed is quite opinionated, and the instance picker even more so, but the "hard-coded" arguments have long since been debunked (though last I checked, without being acknowledged by those who initially spread the story).
Also the flagship instance PieFed.social does block a lot, but that's as different as an instance is from software. Btw Lemmy.ml rather famously blocks a lot of content as well.
Whatever software you use, pick good instance admins that you feel reflect your values (or even self-host your own), and you'll enjoy your experience on the Threadiverse much better than being at odds with them.
ragingHungryPanda@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com · 3 pts · 21d
I follow along a lot in the chats and run the software. They did move everything to configuration a long time ago.
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 37 pts · 22d
lonefighter@sh.itjust.works · 27 pts · 21d
We should award everyone on the list with a badge next to their username the same way new users show up with a chick next to theirs.
(I am not currently on the list and I am slightly salty about it)
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 21d
db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 12 pts · 21d
Hm, maybe I'll use my fork of tesseract to add a shiny badge next to those names instead
Salamence@mander.xyz · 3 pts · 21d
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org · 2 pts · 20d
I'd be wearing that with pride
threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 21d
With at what now?
TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip · 22 pts · 21d
What's up my homies!
bloor@feddit.org · 7 pts · 21d
cat abuseeee!!
grep can take a list of files to search in, saves you a process call and some syscalls.
chickenf622@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 21d
Or they just love using the pipe operator cause it makes them feel like a real programmer. I honestly am so used to piping to grep I forget you can pass it file paths.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 21d
Yo, me too. But not MonkderDritte, so it's relatively recent.
Jankatarch@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 21d
If I post trans memes monthly and study das kapital every day, will I make it to the list next year? I don't want to un-disappoint my parents!
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 21d
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org · 2 pts · 20d
Just call for guillotine usage. Worked for me.
raspberry_confetti@lemmy.ml · 19 pts · 21d
Just fucking rub it in
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 21d
grillgamesh@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 18 pts · 22d
what the heck is this?
I leave for a few days and the memes have changed from beans to...... this.?
Limitless_screaming@kbin.earth · 27 pts · 21d
There's a popular frontend for Lemmy called "Tesseract". About a week ago the dev pushed an apparently malicious update with a block list which contains lots of leftist (as in even slightly left leaning) communities and users.
OP searched for and found his username in that block list.
The file OP searched in is "policy.json", which doesn't exist in the source code. The command pulls the content of the url decodes it from base64, unzips it and puts the content in policy.json. Which means the source code obfuscates the file by default.
(the only file called "policy" I could find in the source code is a .dat file which has the encoded data).
Axolotl_cpp@feddit.it · 11 pts · 21d
Apparently they just blocked whoever didn't agree with the devs, it's mainly leftists but there are some rightist too, they blocked the word "Enlightened centrist" so the devs are for sure enlightened centrists and blocked whoever isn't
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 21d
lol and they just closed sourced it.
are they breaking licensing laws now?
@ptz@dubvee.org if you're going to shit on the community, at least have the decency to stand by your work.
OpenStars@discuss.online · 0 pts · 21d
The author explains himself here: https://lemmy.world/post/49817942.
Like apparently it's not "leftist" per se (or trans or furry etc.) so much as extremist rhetoric, or even instances turning a blind eye towards same, for the sake of mainstream normies coming here from Reddit.
It would be like blocking pretentious people, then vegetarians decrying unfair/biased treatment.
Note that many leftists are not blocked, like I strongly doubt that slrpnk.net would be, it's primarily the more "militant" varieties.
whoisearth@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 20d
Dude is a grade A pussy. He can have his opinions and make his decisions but to close his eyes and cover his ears and go "lalala" is hilarious.
OpenStars@discuss.online · 0 pts · 21d
Next up I think is jeans (again), or are we all the way back to not pooping?
waterSticksToMyBalls@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 21d
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 21d
So big on the weird part of the internet they had to update they software
AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip · 15 pts · 21d
I am both glad and sad I'm not on the list. UwU
From the looks of the list, basically nobody I can recognize, the people behind the list ( if it wasn't just the dev alone ) really has a hard on for a lot of people.
Same thing for website as well. A lot of sites that have either some genAI features or are about genAI/genAI tools or are genAI slop coded to the extreme. Actually fine with that because fuck genAI. But also gumroad, bit(dot)ly, wixsite, ceilingsanddryliningsupplies(dot)co(dot)uk ( literally looks like a completely innocent businesses website ), another innocent looking store ( distinctive Chesterfields ( furniture ) ), linktree, google forms & gemeni, and a lot more are also on the list.
The list feels all over the place and as nutty as can be.
Daxter101@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 11 pts · 22d
Omfg stop showing off! I'm getting jealous, I'm almost certainly not in there, and I'm feeling left out!
(/j)
Reygle@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 21d
Shanmugha@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 21d
Okay, jealousy unlocked. Well done!
Marthirial@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 21d
Shall wear it with pride.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 21d
I wondered why I was getting less interaction recently 🤣.
Cheebus@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 21d
Time for some good ol fashioned 1TropicalDingdong
(if i’m reading that regex correctly)
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 21d
four@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 21d
^means the start of the text, so you can't add anything before. But it ends with any number of digits, soTropicalDingdong1it isCheebus@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 21d
Right so if it’s a blacklist 1TropicalDingdong would go right around it
four@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 21d
Oh right haha I thought you wanted to join the cool kids club of blocked names instead
Salamence@mander.xyz · 5 pts · 21d
But it was probably because of the feddit-dbzero drama post lmao
pleb_maximus@piefed.zip · 5 pts · 21d
Ayo, my lemmy.zip account made it in. Guess I wasn't trying hard enough on this one. :D
Mim@lemmy.zip · 6 pts · 21d
I really did! :D
pleb_maximus@piefed.zip · 6 pts · 21d
So you should add me to your blocklist on your, what now seems to be closed source, UI @admiralpatrick@lemmy.world otherwise the "normies" might be exposed to my toxicity and violence. Chop chop, get to it!
Oh, but maybe tell the users that you have built in such a feature and let them decide on their own, it is generally considered toxic and dipshittery of the highest order to hide such things even from the admins and try to obfuscate it in the commits.
cookiecoookie@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 21d
They're the first virus on Lemmy
Jankatarch@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 21d
Brag more, will you?
VibeSurgeon@piefed.social · 4 pts · 21d
Is the decoded list published somewhere? For someone too lazy to do it themselves
idunnololz@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 21d
sigh
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world · 3 pts · 21d
A lot of people don’t belong in the list but I think you’ve earned your place.
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 21d
Telling everyone you don't get it without telling everyone you don't get it.
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world · 5 pts · 21d
I don’t get much I’m pretty slow.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 21d
deacon@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 21d
Kirk@startrek.website · -28 pts · 22d
Binette@lemmy.ml · 23 pts · 21d
That's not the issue. Admins running the UI and other users didn't know this was in it.
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 21d
literally 1984 i literally cant even omg
Kirk@startrek.website · -10 pts · 21d
truly impressive how some people are always the victim even on open platforms they literally can own for free
Binette@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 21d
Well yeah, people are changing frontends and warned others that Tesseract has that kind of blocklist and they don't support it. If people that used the tool didn't find out until now, it's mostly a communication issue from the dev. And to the user that knows none the wiser, opinions that they would've accessed if not for using Tesseract are essentialy not available. The option to turn it off is essentially hidden, and the user can't find out that information is being blocked (as seen by the reaction it caused in the threadiverse). It's censorship by omission of information. Even if they had good intentions, the way they went about it failed to communicate what the blocklist was about, and that information was being blocked in the first place.
It's also just kind of a silly thing to implement in a client. That's the perspective the memes are coming from. Usually, blocklists should be left to the instance administrators or users. The client should only easily allow such a list to be available.
Kirk@startrek.website · -5 pts · 21d
I'm sorry you were blocked but this behavior isn't likely to change that
Binette@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 21d
I don't really know if I was blocked nor do I really care. I'm just explaning why people were upset/making memes about it. It's shocking once one finds out about the blocklist, but kind of funny in retrospect.
Kirk@startrek.website · -10 pts · 21d
it does not shock me at all that someone would make an effort to fix lemmys biggest problem
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 21d
I think we all appreciate @db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com effort to address administrative and developer abuse, lemmy's biggest problem.
snoons@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 21d
Yeah, if only someone could make a hidden block list so people like you can't interact with anyone. :(
Binette@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 21d
It is quite naive to think that nobody has thought of a sollution like that though. It was probably not implemented like that for a reason.
IAMgROOT@lemmy.wtf · 1 pts · 20d
"annoyinf" = undesirables