Have you checked your "Private Mentions" section in Mastodon?
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@FediTips Never happened to me. I guess I'm not that popular.
Or you're just more organised!
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Or you're just more organised!
@FediTips You wouldn't say that if you saw my worplace.
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Have you checked your "Private Mentions" section in Mastodon?
It's easy to miss notifications about DMs as they are mixed in with all the other mentions and notifications.
You can check your DMs on your server's website by clicking "@ Private Mentions" on the right of the screen (or click ☰, then "@ Private Mentions" if you're on mobile).
Apps may have various different interfaces for DMs.
No mention of Mastodon DM should miss the fact that they are neither direct, nor private. Your server admin has visibility into them just the same as Elon can read DMs on Xitter. Use Signal with a username to chat in private.
@FediTips -
No mention of Mastodon DM should miss the fact that they are neither direct, nor private. Your server admin has visibility into them just the same as Elon can read DMs on Xitter. Use Signal with a username to chat in private.
@FediTipsYeah, social media in general is not a good place for sensitive information.
Just to add though, unlike Twitter there isn't any method built into Mastodon for admins to view DMs. It isn't designed to let admins view them.
To view DMs in Mastodon, the admin would have to manually browse the raw data in the database, or perhaps use some third party tool.
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Yeah, social media in general is not a good place for sensitive information.
Just to add though, unlike Twitter there isn't any method built into Mastodon for admins to view DMs. It isn't designed to let admins view them.
To view DMs in Mastodon, the admin would have to manually browse the raw data in the database, or perhaps use some third party tool.
When you're the admin, the database is very accessible. All it takes is a password and an SQL query. If Mastodon wasn't designed to let admins view the data, it would encrypt the data. It does not.
@FediTips -
When you're the admin, the database is very accessible. All it takes is a password and an SQL query. If Mastodon wasn't designed to let admins view the data, it would encrypt the data. It does not.
@FediTipsI think we might have different experiences of how easy it is to reach something?
A lot of admins, myself included, have instances on managed hosting providers where the database cannot be accessed directly by the admin. (That does raise possibility of hosting company viewing it, of course.) As there is no GUI for it, the admin is locked out of viewing DMs.
On Twitter there are apparently direct graphical interfaces for moderators to view DMs, I just meant Mastodon doesn't have that.
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When you're the admin, the database is very accessible. All it takes is a password and an SQL query. If Mastodon wasn't designed to let admins view the data, it would encrypt the data. It does not.
@FediTips@osma So as on any application that uses a database in the backend. Most do.
Even if the content itself was end-to-end encrypted, system admins have access to loads and loads of metadata - of application and server itself
Ideally, run a server yourself if you really want/need to restrict access to your data. Or have someone you trust to do it
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I think we might have different experiences of how easy it is to reach something?
A lot of admins, myself included, have instances on managed hosting providers where the database cannot be accessed directly by the admin. (That does raise possibility of hosting company viewing it, of course.) As there is no GUI for it, the admin is locked out of viewing DMs.
On Twitter there are apparently direct graphical interfaces for moderators to view DMs, I just meant Mastodon doesn't have that.
The hosting providers locking access just for themselves makes this even worse.
@FediTips -
The hosting providers locking access just for themselves makes this even worse.
@FediTipsI think managed hosting is mainly designed for non-techy people who wouldn't be able to use SQL?
Fedi managed hosting providers are not malevolent corporations, they're small indie companies trying to help more people host their own instances.
In any case, as you said, the main point is that people shouldn't use social media for sensitive info, and that's true regardless of how the hosting is handled.
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I think managed hosting is mainly designed for non-techy people who wouldn't be able to use SQL?
Fedi managed hosting providers are not malevolent corporations, they're small indie companies trying to help more people host their own instances.
In any case, as you said, the main point is that people shouldn't use social media for sensitive info, and that's true regardless of how the hosting is handled.
There are many reasons to use managed hosting. Being SQL fluent and wishing to operate servers are two quite distinct things. And assuming that current perceived good intentions rule out future transgressions is how bad stuff happens.
@FediTips -
There are many reasons to use managed hosting. Being SQL fluent and wishing to operate servers are two quite distinct things. And assuming that current perceived good intentions rule out future transgressions is how bad stuff happens.
@FediTipsFair enough
