commit: 9d7e265b6d9c5b36217cc3b7ad9224ecbcc5f73f
parent 7389d4cccb7f61e63afb88f730422d072c986a05
Author: Drew DeVault <sir@cmpwn.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2021 10:38:53 -0500
Use open platforms, or else
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+---
+title: Use open platforms — or else
+date: 2021-01-28
+---
+
+The ongoing events around [/r/wallstreetbets][0] teaches us, once again, about
+the value of open platforms, and the tremendous *risk* involved in using
+proprietary platforms. The economic elites who control those proprietary
+platforms, backed by their venture capital interests, *will* shut us down if we
+threaten them. We're taking serious risk by casting our lot with them.
+
+[0]: https://old.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets
+
+[Discord][1], a proprietary instant messaging and VoIP platform, kicked out the
+/r/WSB community yesterday. They claimed it was due to spam and abuse from bots.
+These are convenient excuses when considered in the broader context of Discord's
+conflict of interest, between its retail investor users and its wall-street
+investor backers. However, even if we take their explanation at face value, we
+can easily question Discord's draconian policies about its proprietary chat
+protocol. They have a history of cracking down on third-party bots and clients
+with the same excuses of preventing spam and abuse. If Discord accepts
+responsibility for preventing spam and abuse, then why are they deplatforming
+users when they, Discord, failed to prevent it?
+
+[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discord_(software)
+
+It's all a lie. They use a proprietary protocol and crack down on third-party
+implementations because they demand total control over their users. They
+deplatformed /r/WSB because they were financially threatened by them. Discord
+acts in their own interests, including when they are against the interests of
+their users. In the words of Rohan Kumar, they're trying to [domesticate their
+users][2]. It's the same with every corporate-operated platform. Betting that
+Reddit will ultimately shut down /r/WSB is probably a stronger bet than buying
+GME!
+
+[2]: https://seirdy.one/2021/01/27/whatsapp-and-the-domestication-of-users.html
+
+But there is another way: free and open platforms, protocols, and standards.
+Instead of Discord, I could recommend [Matrix](https://matrix.org),
+[IRC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat), or
+[Mumble](https://www.mumble.com/). These are not based on central corporate
+ownership, but instead on publicly available standards that anyone can build
+on top of. The ownership of these platforms is distributed between its users,
+and thus aligned with their incentives.
+
+Federation is also a really compelling solution. Unlike Discord and Reddit,
+which are centrally owned and operated, federated software calls for many
+independent server operators to run instances which are responsible for tens or
+hundreds of users each. Each of these servers then use standardized protocols to
+communicate with each other, forming one cohesive, distributed social network.
+Matrix and IRC are both federated protocols, for example. Others include
+[Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/), which is similar to Twitter in function;
+[PeerTube](https://joinpeertube.org/en), for hosting videos and live streams;
+and [Lemmy](https://join.lemmy.ml/), which is a federated equivalent of Reddit.
+
+These are the alternatives. These platforms lack that crucial conflict of
+interest which is getting us kicked off of the corporate owned platforms. These
+are the facts: open platforms are the only ones align with the interests of
+their users, and closed platforms exploit their users. Once you recognize this,
+you should jump ship *before* you're deplatformed, or else you're risking your
+ability to organize yourselves to move to another platform. Use open platforms —
+or else. Do it today.
