Mozilla needs to construct a greater social media platform within Mastodon, and being “impartial” will not be a part of the plan.
In a blog post, Steve Teixeira, Mozilla’s Chief Product Officer, introduced that the corporate is increasing its Mozilla.social Mastodon occasion into non-public beta. Why is the corporate doing it? In line with Teixeira, “social is damaged,” and the fediverse “strikes energy away from large tech firms and into the palms of various voices to construct a social platform that meets folks’s wants, not shareholders’ wants.”
So, how is Mastodon going to construct a greater social media expertise? Being impartial will not be a part of the plan. Teixeira says that “you’ll discover a giant distinction in our content material moderation strategy in comparison with different main social media platforms.”
We’re not constructing one other self-declared “impartial” platform. We imagine that far too typically, “neutrality” is used as an excuse to permit behaviors and content material that’s designed to harass and hurt these from communities which have at all times confronted harassment and violence.
As a substitute, the chief says that “our content material moderation plan is rooted within the objectives and values expressed in our Mozilla Manifesto — human dignity, inclusion, safety, particular person expression, and collaboration.”
We perceive that particular person expression is commonly seen, significantly within the US, as an absolute proper to free speech at any value. Even when that value is hurt to others. We don’t subscribe to this view. We wish to be clear about this. We’re constructing an superior sandbox for us all to play in, however it comes with guidelines governing how we have interaction with each other. You’re fully free to go elsewhere for those who don’t like them.
For these desirous to check out Mastodon’s new enterprise into social, you’ll be able to join the waitlist.
The timing is attention-grabbing, contemplating that Mastodon simply released a new onboarding experience that makes it simpler to enroll in the service — so long as you’re signing up for the occasion that the corporate controls.
