Ask HN: Given GME, WallStreetBets – are there any uncensorable social platforms?
Given Discords banning of the WallStreetBets server, Robinhood disabling customer accounts, a likely inevitable reigning or banning of r/WallStreetBets, plus what happened to Parler earlier this month, it's clear there's a need for uncensorable social media (which doesn't necessarily mean unmoderated), free from App Stores, AWS, DNS or otherwise.
While platforms like Diaspora and Mastodon have existed for a while, is there any place that could act as a viable and uncensorable alternative to r/WallStreetBets? That implies scalability, the possibility for "network effects" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect), a UX that "non nerds" could handle and probably more.
What do you think are the promising technologies and platforms that could become viable alternatives?
5 comments
[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 23.1 ms ] threadhttps://d.buzz/ https://hive.blog/ https://peakd.com/
Such a thing will always have some kind of "emissions" or way of differentiating it. Oh, there will be layers of obfuscation, redundancy, and such. But the bottom line is (and especially to be scalable, have "network effects", be non-nerd accessible) by having an identity... you can be identified.
From there, it's all about power and control and that "might makes right". Nothing more than the use of language is required to censor. It can always be outlawed and even if it's hard to find, hard to prove. If it really matters "they" will find a way, however arcane or mundane.
Not saying it's a futile effort. Just that "power" can always find a way to put its boot down to stop a thing it feels threatened by until the concept of power itself is what is at stake.
> until the concept of power itself is what is at stake
You mean we need a reach a point where power is not needed? If so that’s a fascinating idea. Thanks!
Power will always be needed, as it represents a differential between knowledge and control over resources. For example, I wouldn't want kids to grow up without benevolent parents! There are obviously other societal layers on top of that that will never go away.
It's more about how power is legitimized and used. The more arbitrary it is, the harder it will to keep folks from fighting over the traditional levers of control vs seeking out more organic ways of bringing about and enforcing change.
It's utopian thinking for sure, but that doesn't mean it's not feasible to scale out... just hard. My wife and I don't always get along perfect, but we get along well because neither of us ever plays power cards to get our way. We hope to build a family along those lines, and have been fortunate to be employed based on these terms too.
Ultimately there is only "win-win" and "lose-lose". The "win-lose" scenario is delusional: it's ultimately self-defeating to benefit at someone else's expense no matter how hard you pretend otherwise. Our societies are a long ways from internalizing that, but I think we've made amazing progress!