Not sure why nobody in the comments is distinguishing between blocking a community on an instance (removing /c/piracy) and defederating instances (saying your users can't subscribe to otherinstance.com/c/piracy). They are very different things. We should be very skeptical of defederation.

Removing a community because it violates the rules of your instance is A-OK and every instance should do this. Anybody can run an instance, and anybody can set their own rules, that's the whole idea of federation.

De-federating other instances because you find their content objectionable is less ok. Lemmy is like e-mail. Everybody registers at gmail or office365 or myfavoriteemail.com. Every email host runs their own servers, but they all talk to each other through an open protocol. You would be pissed to find out that gmail just suddenly decided to stop accepting mail from someothermailprovider.com because a bunch of their users are pirates or tankies. Or blocked your favourite email newsletter from reaching your inbox because it had inflammatory political content.

Allowing your users to receive e-mail, or content from subcommunities on other lemmy instances is not a legal risk like hosting the content yourself is (IANAL etc). Same way Gmail is not liable if somebody on some other e-mail server does something illegal by emailing a gmail user. That's why you can register at torrentwebsite.com and get a user confirmation email successfully delivered to your inbox. Gmail is federated with all other e-mail services without needing to endorse them or accept legal liability for them.

Lemmy's strength, value, and future comes from being the largest federated space for link-sharing and other forms of communication.

De-federation is bad.

[–] jellyka@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

While I agree with you, I'd really love the possibility of block whole instances, just for me. I don't want my instance from defederating from much, but I'd like for example to block all the porn without having to find myself some christian lemmy instance to move to lol

[–] makeasnek@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

You would be free to do that, just as you can make filters in gmail. But the difference is who gets to make that decision.

[–] lukini@beehaw.org 15 points 1 year ago

Nah I gotta disagree on this one. I specifically joined this instance as a welcoming space. I'm glad we're defederated from the tankie and far right instances. I want none of that here. You can feel differently for the "main" instances or whatever you want to call them, but for me, defederation is amazing.

[–] Blaze@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago

Very good point

[–] TheSpookiestUser@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

If someone's email domain is @ihateminorities.com, I'd say that's pretty fair grounds for blocking it.

There are some instances that actively promote hateful or extremist content, and exist for the purpose of hosting it. There are others that do not actively support that content but do allow it, anywhere, making blocking one community not enough. Defederation is an important tool and should be used wisely.

[–] Spedwell@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If an instance is merely blocked, does that mean all content produced by that instance, or by a Lemmy.World user using that instance, is strictly not stored on Lemmy.World servers?

Otherwise there might still be liability. Also, in the US you don't even have to do anything illegal to be the target of a lawsuit—distancing from piracy is a practical defense against the cost of legal proceedings, even if it's technically legal.