The Nexus of Privacy on Nostr: Eight tips about consent for fediverse developers ...
Eight tips about consent for fediverse developers
https://privacy.thenexus.today/consent-for-fediverse-developers/
There's a difference in opinion in the #fediverse on whether it's important to get consent to use somebody's public posts for a purpose they didn't originally intend it for. Some think this is just fine, or that it's enough to assume consent and give people the ability to "opt out" and withdraw consent. Others think that these uses should require informed, affirmative, "opt in" consent.
The good news is that this means there's a huge opportunity for fediverse developers here. From a strategy perspective, focusing on opt-in can be a powerful way to add unique value to an underserved audience.
Less positively, though, that's not how everybody approaches it. So there's a long history of developers writing or proposing fediverse search engines, scrapers, bridges and other services that use people's public posts without opt-in consent ... and suddenly being in the middle of a firestorm of criticism and feedback.
So if you're a developer working on a fediverse app or service and want to get it right – or just don't want to be the center of the next firestorm – here are a few suggestions.<li>Consent matters, even for public posts</li><li>Get broad feedback before launching – and listen to it</li><li>Honor existing opt-in and opt-out mechanisms</li><li>Include an additional opt-in mechanism for your service if it's not just a search engine or profile discovery (or something very close to them)</li><li>Make sure to communicate that you're taking an opt-in approach and honoring existing mechanisms</li><li>DON'T say the things that developers who ignore consent typically say</li><li>Be extra careful if you're a cis guy</li><li>Look at opt-in as an opportunity for a potential competitive advantage</li>
[@fediversenews](https://venera.social/profile/fediversenews) [@fedidevs](https://venera.social/profile/fedidevs)
https://privacy.thenexus.today/consent-for-fediverse-developers/
There's a difference in opinion in the #fediverse on whether it's important to get consent to use somebody's public posts for a purpose they didn't originally intend it for. Some think this is just fine, or that it's enough to assume consent and give people the ability to "opt out" and withdraw consent. Others think that these uses should require informed, affirmative, "opt in" consent.
The good news is that this means there's a huge opportunity for fediverse developers here. From a strategy perspective, focusing on opt-in can be a powerful way to add unique value to an underserved audience.
Less positively, though, that's not how everybody approaches it. So there's a long history of developers writing or proposing fediverse search engines, scrapers, bridges and other services that use people's public posts without opt-in consent ... and suddenly being in the middle of a firestorm of criticism and feedback.
So if you're a developer working on a fediverse app or service and want to get it right – or just don't want to be the center of the next firestorm – here are a few suggestions.<li>Consent matters, even for public posts</li><li>Get broad feedback before launching – and listen to it</li><li>Honor existing opt-in and opt-out mechanisms</li><li>Include an additional opt-in mechanism for your service if it's not just a search engine or profile discovery (or something very close to them)</li><li>Make sure to communicate that you're taking an opt-in approach and honoring existing mechanisms</li><li>DON'T say the things that developers who ignore consent typically say</li><li>Be extra careful if you're a cis guy</li><li>Look at opt-in as an opportunity for a potential competitive advantage</li>
[@fediversenews](https://venera.social/profile/fediversenews) [@fedidevs](https://venera.social/profile/fedidevs)