If anyone could help me improve my script, it could be a way to get more posting action in Europe, instead of Cloudflare (US). What I need most is an open dataset of communities other than #Lemmyverse, which is incomplete.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/24512484

> (The pic is sample output for an arbitrary query on “vegan vege pesc”. Irrelevant side note: there is no free-world venue for pescatarians.. just one in L/W that scrolled off the screen) > > ## CF > > The federation is not wholly decentralised, obviously, when giant centralised fiefdoms like Facebook “Threads”™ and Cloudflare hook in their technofeudal variety of oppressive infra and abuse their power. > > Each post submission begins with finding a relevant venue for the content and it must be consistent with my sense of ethics. Cloudflare is automatically nixed because it’s inherently centralised in a walled garden (regardless of the user count for any given node). CF is a non-starter for an open, free, and fair society (fair implying power balance, equality, transparency, etc). > > My script queries the catalog of communities for relevant venues. It still prints the Cloudflare walled garden because it’s useful to see what names match my regex queries, which sometimes helps form a better query. It’s the only thing #LemmyWorld is good for (a shit-ton of community names with redundant variations of the same subject matter). Those results are in red, tagged with a thundercloud (🌩 ), and printed first (because when they scroll off the terminal I don’t typically care to scroll up to see them). > > ## non-CF > > CF is not the only issue. Some non-CF nodes are centralized due to uncontrolled growth to disproportionately large sizes. I don’t cancel them hard-and-fast like CF nodes, but they get treated with low “last resort” favorability. They have the warning symbol (⚠) and are in yellow. > > ### Is my math decent? > > My script began by filtering on total user count. Then I realised dead or dormant users probably should not count because such users don’t really contribute to a node’s disproportionate power over a population. It’s active users that matter. But if the number of active users in a day are filtered on, that’s too dynamic for deciding where my post can live for a month or however long it is relevant. So I took the users_active_half_year count. Is that sensible? > > What constitutes an “active” user, simply logging in, or commenting? > > The line is drawn at 2 standard deviations above the average -- after tossing outliers. Nodes with less than 5 active users in ½ a year are likely 1-person nodes which do not influence the average. The average is around 320 active ½yr users per node. The standard deviation is ~702 users. My statistical competence is rusty for sure, but I’m a bit bothered by a standard deviation that’s more than double the mean. Seems like a variation so wild it should perhaps be disregarded. Nonetheless, I opted to flag nodes that exceed ~1724 users_active_half_year. > > The pseudocode looks like this: > > avg=$(sqlite3 "$db" 'select round(avg([counts.users_active_half_year])) from node_tbl where tags not like "%cloudflare%" and [counts.users_active_half_year] > 4') > variance=$(sqlite3 "$db" 'select avg(([counts.users_active_half_year] - subtbl.aua) * ([counts.users_active_half_year] - subtbl.aua)) as var from node_tbl, (select avg([counts.users_active_half_year]) as aua from node_tbl where tags not like "%cloudflare%" and [counts.users_active_half_year] > 4) as subtbl where tags not like "%cloudflare%" and [counts.users_active_half_year] > 4;') > > sqlite3 "$db" "select case when baseurl in (select baseurl from node_tbl where [counts.users_active_half_year] > $avg+sqrt($variance)*2) then '$yellow⚠' else '$cyan' end||baseurl||'$reset',name from community_tbl where (name like '%${1}%' or desc like '%${1}%') and baseurl not in (select baseurl from node_tbl where tags like '%cloudflare%') order by baseurl,name" > > Code is ugly because sqlite does not have a stdev builtin function. > > My other thought is to cut slack for closed nodes because at least they are expected to shrink. To list the possible figures to filter on, this is a record for lemmy.ml (the biggest non-Cloudflare node): > :::spoiler record for lemmy.ml > url = https://lemmy.ml/ > baseurl = lemmy.ml > name = Lemmy > desc = A community of privacy and FOSS enthusiasts, run by Lemmy’s developers > downvotes = 1 > nsfw = 1 > create_admin = 0 > private = 0 > fed = 1 > version = 0.19.12 > open = 1 > usage.users.total = 54790 > usage.users.activeHalfyear = 4201 > usage.users.activeMonth = 2125 > usage.localPosts = 167331 > usage.localComments = 818559 > counts.site_id = 1 > counts.users = 54790 > counts.posts = 167331 > counts.comments = 818559 > counts.communities = 4608 > counts.users_active_day = 947 > counts.users_active_week = 1496 > counts.users_active_month = 2125 > counts.users_active_half_year = 4201 > icon = https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/fa6d9660-4f1f-4e90-ac73-b897216db6f3.png > banner = > langs = ["all"] > date = 2019-04-20T18:53:54.608882Z > published = 1555786434000 > time = 1751974533970 > score = > uptime.domain = lemmy.ml > uptime.latency = 0.034 > uptime.countryname = France > uptime.uptime_alltime = 99.04 > uptime.date_created = > uptime.date_updated = 2021-10-29 15:09:21 > uptime.date_laststats = 2025-04-11 21:03:25 > uptime.score = 100 > uptime.status = 1 > isSuspicious = 0 > metrics.usersTotal = 54790 > metrics.usersMonth = 2125 > metrics.usersWeek = 1496 > metrics.totalActivity = 985890 > metrics.localPosts = 167331 > metrics.localComments = 818559 > metrics.averageUsers = 50720.8825256975 > metrics.biggestJump = 225 > metrics.averagePerMinute = 0.02475 > metrics.userActivityScore = 0.055574151274483 > metrics.activityUserScore = 17.9939770031028 > metrics.userActiveMonthScore = 25.7835294117647 > tags = [] > susReason = [] > trust.lastCrawled = 1751974533970 > trust.baseurl = lemmy.ml > trust.metrics.usersTotal = 54790 > trust.metrics.usersMonth = 2125 > trust.metrics.usersWeek = 1496 > trust.metrics.totalActivity = 985890 > trust.metrics.localPosts = 167331 > trust.metrics.localComments = 818559 > trust.metrics.averageUsers = 50720.8825256975 > trust.metrics.biggestJump = 225 > trust.metrics.averagePerMinute = 0.02475 > trust.metrics.userActivityScore = 0.055574151274483 > trust.metrics.activityUserScore = 17.9939770031028 > trust.metrics.userActiveMonthScore = 25.7835294117647 > trust.users = 54790 > trust.name = Lemmy > trust.base = lemmy.ml > trust.actor_id = https://lemmy.ml/ > trust.tags = [] > trust.guarantor = fediseer.com > trust.endorsements = 17 > trust.score = 598.1875 > trust.reasons = [] > blocks.incoming = 0 > blocks.outgoing = 0 > blocked = [] > ::: > > ## Some communities missing from the Lemmyverse DB - why? > Anyone know why some slrpnk.net communities are in the Lemmyverse DB, and some are not? E.g. why is !nolawns@slrpnk.net missing, despite many others from the same node that are included? > > More importantly, what’s the fix apart from crawling all the nodes (which would probably be unwelcome)? Is there another open DB apart from Lemmyverse? There is fediverse.space and fediverse.observer, but they don’t appear to be sharing their data. >

We have extensive discussions about our enormous dependence on American clouds, but what exactly are we talking about? And is Europe equally dependent on all types of cloud? This article is aimed at policy makers, but it may also provide some clarity about the broader landscape to actual cloud users.

https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/the-european-cloud-ladder/

If you send an email to a recipient whose email account is hosted by Microsoft, or you share you email address with such entities, you are part of the problem.

I refuse to be part of the problem. So before contacting a recipient (gov agencies in particular), I do an MX lookup on their email address. It almost always points to MS servers.

So snail mail it is. Otherwise sending them email serves as a signal to the recipient that MS is okay for email.

"It's just possible that you, a sentient being with active sensory input, have cause for concern about the security of data hosted both in the United States and by Microsoft. GitHub has been ubiquitous and indispensable for technologists. But maybe it's time to reconsider that status."

https://taggart-tech.com/migrate-to-codeberg/

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/20134554

> Archived > > After nearly a year of regulatory hurdles, Meta has finally begun deploying its conversational AI assistant across the European Union and neighboring countries this week. > > The rollout, which covers 41 European countries and 21 overseas territories, marks Meta’s largest global expansion of Meta AI to date, though European users will initially access only a limited version of the technology. > > European users will initially have access to what Meta describes as an “intelligent chat function” available in six European languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian. > > ... > > The AI assistant will be integrated across Meta’s suite of applications, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. Users can access Meta AI by tapping a blue circle icon within these apps to initiate conversations. > > ... > > Meta has indicated this limited release is just “the first step” in its ongoing efforts to bring more AI capabilities to European users. > > ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClvjCSmV-js

Update:

This post started as "Petition to the European Union: Transitioning Social Media Presence to the Fediverse" but seems to be clear that what we need is actually an ECI as petitions works different in the EU compared to some local governments. For more information see this link: https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/_en

I currently looking to create a Group of Organizers as the ECI required that before doing anything else.

Please, send me a message if you are interested, I will get back to you as soon as I can.

According to the official website, the requirements are:

• It must contain at least 7 people old enough to vote in elections to the European Parliament (18 years old, except in Belgium, Malta and Austria where the voting age is 16, and Greece where it’s 17).
• They must be living in at least 7 different EU countries. They must be EU nationals but don’t have to be nationals of 7 different EU countries. For example, the group could contain 3 Portuguese and 4 Lithuanian nationals, provided they’re living in 7 different EU countries.
• None of the minimum 7 can be Members of the European Parliament.

Thanks!

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Hello everyone,

We are writing a petition to the EU to transition as soon as possible their social media to the Fediverse. We will leave the text here for everyone to put comments and help having the best and effective test possible. This text was already presented to other small communities.

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To: The European Commission and Members of the European Parliament

We, the undersigned, are citizens of the European Union who believe in the values of transparency, decentralization, and user empowerment. We submit this petition to urge the European Union to transition its social media presence to the Fediverse, a decentralized network of interconnected social media platforms.

Reasons for Transitioning to the Fediverse:

Decentralization and User Control: The Fediverse operates on a decentralized model, allowing users to have greater control over their data and online interactions. By moving to this model, the EU can set a precedent for digital sovereignty and user empowerment. Enhanced Privacy and Security: The Fediverse prioritizes user privacy and data protection, aligning with the EU’s commitment to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This transition would demonstrate the EU’s dedication to safeguarding citizens’ personal information. Fostering Innovation: By engaging with the Fediverse, the EU can support open-source technologies and encourage innovation in social media. This move would promote a diverse ecosystem of platforms that prioritize user needs over corporate interests. Combatting Misinformation: The decentralized nature of the Fediverse allows for more community-driven moderation and content curation. This can lead to more effective strategies for combating misinformation and fostering healthy public discourse. Promoting Inclusivity: The Fediverse is built on principles of inclusivity and accessibility. By adopting this model, the EU can ensure that all citizens have a voice and can participate in democratic processes without the barriers often present in traditional social media platforms. Proposed Actions:

Conduct a feasibility study on transitioning the EU’s social media presence to the Fediverse. Engage with stakeholders, including citizens, tech experts, and civil society organizations, to explore the best practices for this transition. Develop a strategic plan for implementing the transition, including timelines, resources, and potential challenges.