The official Mastodon app (and most other Fediverse apps) do not collect any data about you.

Mariusz Klimczak

@mastodonmigration @edward_jazzhands @FediTips I don't expect their charity, it's just a lot of ppl posting content of interest to me (academia) are on bsky, so I followed. One has to keep common sense though, of course.
Cheers!

Mastodon Migration VOTED

@mariuszklimczak @edward_jazzhands @FediTips

It's all good. You do you.

Edward Jazzhands

@mastodonmigration @mariuszklimczak @FediTips
I'm on Mastodon because I love the whole idea of a voluntary decentralized network. But at the same time... I'm also not like super opposed to the concept of a company needing to use some of my data to sell targeted advertisements, so they can make some money doing it. Being a software developer myself I completely understand that people have mouths to feed and business is business. I -love- l open source software, and I contribute. But it also doesn't pay bills a lot of the time.

If its done in a responsible way, like Bluesky seems like they're trying to, it's not that big a deal. I prefer Mastodon but I'm also not terrified of companies selling me targeted ads. As long as I feel like the company doing this ad brokering is somewhat responsible, its fine.

There's a very big difference between selling targeted ads (while keeping your data inside the company's own databases), and literally selling your data.

Nitro :blobHajReach:

@edward_jazzhands @FediTips @mastodonmigration @mariuszklimczak they’ve already said they’re not interested in following that path. They’re currently funding the company through investors and things like being able to buy your own domain through them (with a namecheap collaboration)

Mastodon Migration VOTED

@nitrobear @edward_jazzhands @FediTips @mariuszklimczak

Companies need to make money someday. You can't just keep using invested money. That's not a business. They need to generate revenue to offset their costs. That's the way it works. And, selling domains is not going to pay the rent.

Fedi.Tips

@edward_jazzhands @mastodonmigration @mariuszklimczak

BlueSky are a for-profit corporation backed by VC money.

Whenever this structure has been applied to online services, it has inevitably resulted in "enshittification" where initially-reasonable policies gradually spiral out of control into full-scale surveillance. The VC investor-owners will demand ever more growth, and eventually the only way to grow will be to screw users.

VC-funding is incompatible with respecting users in long term.

Luca

@FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mastodonmigration @mariuszklimczak this type of fear mongering and hand-wavy prophecies frankly undermine the whole message and merit of the mastodon model.

“We’re better because they are worse, believe me”.

Mastodon Migration VOTED

@securescientist @FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mariuszklimczak

FediTips did not "fear monger" nor "handwave" they stated facts. Corporate websites need revenue to satisfy their investors. Revenue does not magically happen. They need to sell something to someone. If it is not in app ads it can only be your content and your personal data. In time it will likely be both. That's just facts.

If you are fine with this, that's cool, but that's the way it is.

Luca

@mastodonmigration @FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mariuszklimczak that’s just good’ol anti capitalist sentiment. Of course money has to come from somewhere, whether that requires to “screw users” by “disrespecting” them inevitably leading to a “full-scale surveillance” setup is prophetic fear mongering.

Ideology has always been myopic.

Mastodon Migration VOTED

@securescientist @FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mariuszklimczak

Luca. Not trying to be disrespectful here. But, rather than speak in generalities, please try to think about it from a business perspective. Initially money comes from investors, so they can offer free stuff. But investors only do this to attract users. Eventually the business must make money. So they must sell something. What do you think Bluesky will sell? Serious question. What are their options for making money?

Luca

@mastodonmigration @FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mariuszklimczak sure it will sell user information, to a degree or another, to become viable financially. Users need not be screwed and the platform needs not be a surveillance one for the model to be sustainable. Assuming it *must* be is ideology. I rebut the simplistic, dismissive assumption that it’s either mastodon or doom. I’m just not one for black and white arguments.

Mastodon Migration VOTED

@securescientist @FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mariuszklimczak

'Black and white arguements'? Not sure what you mean. You just agreed they will sell your user information and you seem fine with that. So, what's the issue? FediTips entire point was that you and your data would become their product. If that works for you, cool. I guess you don't like their terminology, but that's how they and many others view this kind of surveillance capitalism, you just have a difference of opinion.

Luca

@mastodonmigration @FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mariuszklimczak perhaps bad English, sorry. Black and white as in either this was or that way, no way in between. I think it’s an expression in English too but I may be wrong.

Mastodon Migration VOTED

@securescientist @FediTips @edward_jazzhands @mariuszklimczak

It is. Guess you mean that you don't think all surveillance capitalism is bad. In that, you are certainly in the majority, because most people willfully give away all their personal information.

Some of us here on Mastodon are particularly sensitive to the issue because of all the history of abuse. Also in the US we don't have GDPR so the government is not a protection from the worst abuses.