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Creator here. I’m very aware of this problem - and I’m working make this suitable for mainstream use. That’s one of the reasons why there is a SFW list as menti

Creator here. I’m very aware of this problem - and I’m working make this suitable for mainstream use. That’s one of the reasons why there is a SFW list as mentioned in the article, for example. The aim of Aether is to deliver a real improvement in privacy to the masses. It explicitly chooses to be practical, with mass appeal, versus the narrow appeal of the instances you mention. (Well, at least try to do that.)

ilaksh 8y ago
I feel morally obligated to start using Aether because I think that p2p and decentralization is what we need. I am going to try to make it work. It would sure help to have a mobile app.
- rolleiflex 8y ago
  Coming!
ggsp 8y ago
As I have you here, an OT question: will the business version of Aether also remove content after six months?
- rolleiflex 8y ago
  No. The business version is a hosted / on-prem SaaS, that removes the space limitations and other similar restrictions that deletion is a solution to. That said, you can still have it delete at a certain threshold. I know of a few large Silicon Valley companies that delete emails past 1.5-2y as a way of limiting their legal exposure. If you’re a 1000+ employee company, that is pretty much standard practice so long as you take care to not delete anything with a legal discovery hold.
  - ggsp 8y ago
    Thank you for taking the time to respond. Will give Aether a spin and see if it might work for our business once it's released.
    - rolleiflex 8y ago
      No worries at all. Feel free to email me (email in profile) and I’ll make sure you get a notification when that becomes ready for a pilot.
Aeolun 8y ago
Since you are here. After reading the post I was left with one very big question. If the network is p2p, and nobody but me can delete my posts, how would you be able to deal with illegal content? I’ll have a look, and I second the need for a mobile app. Reddit happens during train rides :)
- SkyMarshal 8y ago
  That was my first question too after reading the blog post. It looks like mods can delete posts, but users can undelete them if they want.
  - rolleiflex 8y ago
    This is correct with a minor exception: if the posts are deleted because of illegality or DMCA (i.e. not because you pissed off mod of a random community) those aren’t reversible. You can make your client not respect this form of deletion as well, by modifying the source code, however that would make you legally liable. Generally, you’re liable for the content your computer shares in all cases, so having that legality-based block list is a benefit to you. You can disable it, but you probably don’t want to. All other deletions are just a flip switch away from being reverted. Ultimately, as the end user you have full control over both systems.
    - yorwba 8y ago
      Why would a pissed-off mod not flip the "this is illegal" switch instead of the "this pissed me off" switch?
      - Aeolun 8y ago
        Presumably because the ability to use the illegal switch lies with the Aether creator, not the mod.
        rolleiflex 8y ago
        That is correct. Though mods can report illegality, they can’t use the second system (called badlist, a list of hashes) themselves. They would first delete it through normal means, and then flag it. Likely this will be automated in the UI at some point. Again, the first system is is designed to be user reversible so disabling a mod is a fairly mundane, ordinary thing that can be done easily via the UI. Disabling the badlist obviously takes more effort but a determined person would be able to disable it, I’d presume. Nevertheless, for the vast majority of people who don’t disable the badlist, they would still be protected against those who disable it since the filter would protect their computer from accepting or sharing that content. So even when badlist is disabled, the only people anybody who disables it can harm is themselves. Basically, the badlist a courtesy provided on a best-effort basis, so that your computer doesn’t share sketchy content, because if it does, you are legally responsible for it. This isn’t the best system probably, but until I find something that works better in practice, this is good enough. When it comes to these kind of things, hope is not a strategy.
thinkloop 8y ago
Hello. Wouldn't 6 months of reddit-scale data be way too much for any single machine?
- rolleiflex 8y ago
  If it crosses 10gb limit, it starts to ‘back off’ from 6 months to shorter timeframes.
hanniabu 8y ago
You mention that one you make a post that you need to stay online for a half hour or so. How come your post won't continue to propose once you go offline? I would think that once it's sent to a few peers that it should continue to prepare even if I close the client. Is this a choice you made due to limitations or due to user experience? I honestly don't see it justified either way though.

ilaksh 8y ago

I feel morally obligated to start using Aether because I think that p2p and decentralization is what we need. I am going to try to make it work. It would sure help to have a mobile app.

rolleiflex 8y ago
Coming!

ggsp 8y ago

As I have you here, an OT question: will the business version of Aether also remove content after six months?

rolleiflex 8y ago
No. The business version is a hosted / on-prem SaaS, that removes the space limitations and other similar restrictions that deletion is a solution to. That said, you can still have it delete at a certain threshold. I know of a few large Silicon Valley companies that delete emails past 1.5-2y as a way of limiting their legal exposure. If you’re a 1000+ employee company, that is pretty much standard practice so long as you take care to not delete anything with a legal discovery hold.
- ggsp 8y ago
  Thank you for taking the time to respond. Will give Aether a spin and see if it might work for our business once it's released.
  - rolleiflex 8y ago
    No worries at all. Feel free to email me (email in profile) and I’ll make sure you get a notification when that becomes ready for a pilot.

Aeolun 8y ago

Since you are here. After reading the post I was left with one very big question. If the network is p2p, and nobody but me can delete my posts, how would you be able to deal with illegal content? I’ll have a look, and I second the need for a mobile app. Reddit happens during train rides :)

SkyMarshal 8y ago
That was my first question too after reading the blog post. It looks like mods can delete posts, but users can undelete them if they want.
- rolleiflex 8y ago
  This is correct with a minor exception: if the posts are deleted because of illegality or DMCA (i.e. not because you pissed off mod of a random community) those aren’t reversible. You can make your client not respect this form of deletion as well, by modifying the source code, however that would make you legally liable. Generally, you’re liable for the content your computer shares in all cases, so having that legality-based block list is a benefit to you. You can disable it, but you probably don’t want to. All other deletions are just a flip switch away from being reverted. Ultimately, as the end user you have full control over both systems.
  - yorwba 8y ago
    Why would a pissed-off mod not flip the "this is illegal" switch instead of the "this pissed me off" switch?
    - Aeolun 8y ago
      Presumably because the ability to use the illegal switch lies with the Aether creator, not the mod.
      - rolleiflex 8y ago
        That is correct. Though mods can report illegality, they can’t use the second system (called badlist, a list of hashes) themselves. They would first delete it through normal means, and then flag it. Likely this will be automated in the UI at some point. Again, the first system is is designed to be user reversible so disabling a mod is a fairly mundane, ordinary thing that can be done easily via the UI. Disabling the badlist obviously takes more effort but a determined person would be able to disable it, I’d presume. Nevertheless, for the vast majority of people who don’t disable the badlist, they would still be protected against those who disable it since the filter would protect their computer from accepting or sharing that content. So even when badlist is disabled, the only people anybody who disables it can harm is themselves. Basically, the badlist a courtesy provided on a best-effort basis, so that your computer doesn’t share sketchy content, because if it does, you are legally responsible for it. This isn’t the best system probably, but until I find something that works better in practice, this is good enough. When it comes to these kind of things, hope is not a strategy.

thinkloop 8y ago

Hello. Wouldn't 6 months of reddit-scale data be way too much for any single machine?

rolleiflex 8y ago
If it crosses 10gb limit, it starts to ‘back off’ from 6 months to shorter timeframes.

hanniabu 8y ago

You mention that one you make a post that you need to stay online for a half hour or so. How come your post won't continue to propose once you go offline? I would think that once it's sent to a few peers that it should continue to prepare even if I close the client. Is this a choice you made due to limitations or due to user experience? I honestly don't see it justified either way though.