Nobody's fault, everyone's problem
12.09, 14:30–15:00 (Europe/Berlin), Theatersaal
Sprache: English

Trust and safety issues are some of the most challenging in online social networks. Even more so when the network is spread over 42,000 providers using 72 different types of software. There is a neglected space at the intersections of software features, individual instance policies and federation dynamics. Here, vulnerabilities emerge at intersections and they are nobody's fault, but, in a federated system, they become everyone's problem.


Trust and safety as well as content moderation represent some of the most challenging issues in online social platforms. At the same time, they are fundamental to good experiences and vibrant online spaces. But what happens when your social network is spread over 42,000 providers interoperating with 72 different types of software? There is a neglected space at the intersections of specific software features, individual instance policies and automated federation dynamics where systemic sociotechnical vulnerabilities emerge. In this talk I will provide a few examples of such vulnerabilities and argue that we need to get a better understanding of them. Since these vulnerabilities emerge at intersections, they are nobody's fault, but, in a federated system, they become everyone's problem.