How can a mastodon user tell if their account is "hidden" or "limited" ?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Mastodon/comments/zjh6vq/hidden_profiles/
I see this a lot with accounts I want to follow.
1. Can admins do this without notifying the user?
2. Is it possible to see the reason accounts have been censored?
If the answers to any of these two questions is "no" then it seems mastodon is subject to abuse from biased/rogue admins and moderators.
cc @FediTips
Each admin is responsible for what goes on on their server, they are paying for it and keeping it alive. It is entirely their prerogative who they block or limit. People who disagree are free to move their accounts to other servers or set up their own.
If you think you've been blocked or limited unfairly, you can email the server admin using the contact email on their server's About page (for example your server's admin email is listed at https://mastodon.social/about ).
but they don't reply
and also "go find another server" is like "this restaurant is racist? go elsewhere". it puts the onus on the victim not the perpetrator
Most accounts that are blocked are things like spambots, trolls, scammers etc. If admins were unable to block accounts against their will, the entire network would become toxic and unusable for everyone.
It's up to each admin to decide what is acceptable on their server, and users can decide which server to join based on what is acceptable there.
Being blocked doesn't make you a victim, it just means that that particular server doesn't want to communicate with you.
I'm not communicating with that server. I communicated with people I followed and who followed me.
Your privileged rationalisation of victimhood will age badly.
I'm not completely clear how an account being limited is victimhood?
What are you suggesting social networks should do instead, not limit accounts at all?
you've shown a poor level of maturity (like some mastodon admins) and I can't make you understand
but this conversation will perhaps highlight to others what the issue is
@charlesdelavalleepoussin @FediTips
Of course moderators can moderate which includes hiding and blocking. It's a feature.
"Default user moderation decisions will notify the affected user by email. The user can access an appeal page, where they can submit one appeal within 20 days of the decision. Moderators can approve or reject the appeal."
But don't forget: "Moderation in Mastodon is always applied locally, i.e. as seen from the particular server."
@charlesdelavalleepoussin @footils
The email notification is only if it's your own server admin limiting/suspending your account.
Blocks from other servers do not generate any emails.
@charlesdelavalleepoussin @footils
I am not a lawyer so I cannot comment on GDPR requests.
Admins are held to account by other admins, rogue servers that behave badly tend to get defederated and isolated. For example when the far right server Gab tried to join the Fedi, servers mostly defederated it.
Each server is independent by design, there is no central authority imposing a particular set of rules. A central authority would bring its own dangers of Musk etc taking over such an authority.
