I wanted to open up a post to discuss the two main methods of federation: allow-list and block-list. As well as see how the majority of users felt with regard to the methods.

Due to some of the issues raised with the method of vote counting this will be considered only a check of user sentiment, not a promise of what to do

I will pin two comments, one in favour of a block-list and one in favour of an allow-list approach to federation.

Before the domain issue we were using an allow-list, this means that any instance that wants to be linked to hexbear must reach out to us or be nominated by a user for addition to the allow-list.

The benefits of this is that we are not automatically linked with any instance that spins up. The downside is that we miss federation with any small lemmy instance as well as with any other activity-pub instance (mastodon, peertube, etc.)

Lemmy.ml and lemmygrad.ml both use a block-list approach and for what it's worth they have done well, the majority of reactionary instances already block us (lemmy.world, sh.itjust.works, lemmy.ca, sopuli.xyz, slrpnk.net) and the pedo/porn/nazi instance are already on the hexbear block-list.

The biggest upside of a block-list approach is that new single person instances that get created will link up with us without any extra steps, and the biggest downside is that it will add an extra step for moderation (adding a new shitty instance to the block-list after they show their shit)

Within the following spoiler will be the hexbear allow-list and block-list.

Discussion may be had within comments, if you have specific instance additions/subtractions from the allow-list or block-list please comment underneath the respective pinned comment.

For example if you wish to add lemmy.ca to the block list comment under https://hexbear.net/comment/5951093