Today we're sharing the first in a series of three posts from our leadership team, starting with @mellifluousbox discussing our mission, and priorities for 2026.

@Mastodon @mellifluousbox The part about age-verification is very concerning. Attempting to push "face-scan" or id-requirement would send everyone out of your main instance, but there are two less damaging ways to age-check if you end up really needing to implement it:

* Valve's approach using credit cards to comply where is required (let the banks verify ages)
* Finding exceptions in the law for your organization/platform not needing it (like the Unredacted non-profit on the US)

@Mastodon @mellifluousbox

We need better processes to hold biased admins/mods to account. Eg

* Mandatory transparency on account limiting, suspension and post removal

* GDPR compliance especially subject access requests

* Public statistics on compliance with the above, including timelinesss

* Referral to independent user-nominated moderators for adjudication with binding decisions

* Code of conduct which codifies the Jerusalem Declaration on #antisemitism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_Declaration_on_Antisemitism

@Mastodon @mellifluousbox

Addressing the embarrassing lack of diversity on Mastodon should also be a goal.

And no, asking white Europeans to attend lavish conferences in Germany to discuss isn't the solution.

@Mastodon @mellifluousbox

This sounds very nice.

"Second, we’re forming and founding an EU-based non-profit parent entity to ensure Mastodon stays European forever."

@ariarhythmic @Mastodon @mellifluousbox

the problem isn't mastodon it's your govt

if mastodon servers don't implement age verification in those jurisdictions that make it law, those servers get shut down by that govt

so you're blaming the wrong entity

are you really asking servers to face legal punishment and then get shut down anyway?

don't get me wrong: be angry

*at your govt*

not mastodon

@Mastodon @mellifluousbox fym "age verification working group"?

@Mastodon @mellifluousbox

Fuck your age verification plans. Don’t be fooled #FaceScan and ID laws are not here to protect children, they are here to enable more #surveillance and #fascist ideologies.

https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/05/06/age-verification-wants-your-face/

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/good-news-uk-discord-users-were-part-of-a-peter-thiel-linked-data-collection-experiment

Fuck that noise! Fuck giving shitheads like Thiel personal information handed to them on a silver platter. #mastodon #oligarchy #privacy #enshittification

@Mastodon @mellifluousbox

"we’re forming and founding an EU-based non-profit parent entity to ensure Mastodon stays European forever"

"staying European forever" might not strike everyone as the Unalloyed Good Thing you seem to think it is

also, "my fellow directors will share more information about their plans" has more than a whiff of the patrician and (worse) *proprietorial* about it
#languagematters

but hey
have fun, it's *your* playground...

@benroyce @Mastodon @mellifluousbox Compliance with fascist laws is fascism.

@ariarhythmic @Mastodon @mellifluousbox

oh shut the fuck up you edgelord

just leave now then

good fucking riddance

all you're asking is that these servers be shut down and the people running them to face legal trouble

THAT IS ALL YOU ARE ASKING FOR

that is all your ego masturbation drama is good for!

do you have the fucking brains to understand that that is the only way what you're asking for will go?

you're angry about this?

GOOD

so go after YOUR GOVERNMENT

@charlesdelavalleepoussin @Mastodon @mellifluousbox

There seems to be a lot of lgbtq+-people here, so there is at least some diversity.

If you mean skin colour, I don't know much this is about non-existence of not-whitepassing people, and how much it is them not writing in English?

How popular is fediverse in Latin America, Africa, Asia, anyway?

@benroyce Such a calm and persuasive discussion.
Good to know you are emotionally regulated, and prepared to argue your position on its merits.

Or just call people names and rage, I guess.

@starlily

yes i agree with you that edgelord ego masturbation drama over what mastodon is forced to do, and blaming the wrong culprit, is stupid

and that it is more effective to attack the government for doing this. as long as one has enough neurons to realize the fucking obvious. instead of deciding that pumping up their ego with uselessly and moronically blaming mastodon instead like an emotionally unregulated cringelord because they like taking "brave stands" for the drama points

thank you

@starlily @benroyce@mastodon.social it.s fully justified rage, to be honest. And "fuck you, make me" is an actual resistance strategy. Complying in advance makes the Nazi's job easy, making them take legal action against each and every single server embarrasses them

@ariarhythmic @benroyce @Mastodon @mellifluousbox

Your definition may of course vary, but if age-check in itself is fascism, it becomes hard to run any community or society where people don't know a lot about each other by other means.

(Eg. a small town pub where "everybody knows your name".)

The question of fascism comes up when we start talking about how the age-check is made, and what other information gets shared in addition to age. Or how that age-check can be misused, even in theory.

@fluffykittycat @starlily exactly this

@fluffykittycat While you are correct, Ben is unreasonably unkind to anyone who crosses his path, even allies and friends.
I am sure hes an intelligent person, but his attitude sure doesnt reflect it.
Im pretty tired of hatred, especially from people who are supposed to be on the same side, so I muted him.

@benroyce @starlily Have you ever heard of the idea of disobedience?

@benroyce @starlily It's when you don't do as you're told when asked to do something stupid. It's what a person with a conscience does when faced with authoritarian laws.

@iju @ariarhythmic @Mastodon @mellifluousbox

looking at the emoji in aria's profile, not knowing if they are trans, but if they are i understand why they feel threatened by id checks

if i were trans i would feel intensely threatened, physically, mortally, by id checks

especially in countries like my like stupid fucking country (the usa)

at the same time:

if i *really* cared about id checks, i wouldn't be attacking the wrong entity

aria's heart is in the right place but their brain is AWOL