Bard spotting on Bluesky 15 November 2024

dr. caitlin m. green (@caitlinmoriah.bsky.social):

yes! it's a super easy tell! nobody does those words in that order unless they're trying to make an untrue and hateful claim about trans people

Comfortably Numb (@numb.comfortab.ly):

"adult human male" or "adult human female" in bio = transphobe.

Block them into oblivion.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

I cannot imagine, cannot remember, ever seeing or hearing those phrases from someone other than a forensic autopsy tech or a gendercrit.

dr. caitlin m. green (@caitlinmoriah.bsky.social):

they think they're quoting a dictionary i believe but they put the words in the wrong order!

Kevin M. Kruse (@kevinmkruse.bsky.social):

A lot of people asking this question and the answer is simply that the rules and laws don't enforce themselves and the people responsible for enforcing them would just prefer not to.

Bartleby the Nation

Jenni 🪷 (@jenni-brake.bsky.social):

I'm so confused… why then is he allowed to not follow any rules or laws?

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Why are people allowed to drag race down your residential street? Because the people responsible for enforcing the laws are mumping donuts and coffee. Same principle but in 72 point script

Mads (@msmads.bsky.social):

When they're not busy with pastries, they're harassing the homeless and running red lights for funsies.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

In a Buddhist, "Thankful for the lesson" way, I am thankful to the police for making me 100% aware that White Privilege Is Real & I Benefit From It.

I and an African-American colleague were targeted by a SWAT attempt. We didn't know it until we left the building, got in our cars, & started home —

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

The police had been waiting in a parking lot for us to leave, & the description they'd been given was consonant with my description, not my colleague.

They passed me, shining the spot in my driver's window, seeing my tired face, waved me on & went on to stop my colleague.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

We compared notes the next day.

They clearly waved me on & decided to harass her using the SWATting attempt as a pretext.

Mads (@msmads.bsky.social):

😮‍💨 Black woman have it so gd rough in this country

CriticalWeebTheory (@criticalweebtheory.bsky.social):

Making blocklists is authoritarian because you're preemptively declaring people persona non grata. You are no different than an NKVD agent making lists of people to purge for arbitrary reasons /s.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

NGLTHUITFH.wav

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Question about blocklist usability —

Has anyone added … let's say, 16.8 thousand people to a single blocklist, yet?

If so, how much lag / latency / usability was incurred?

Bernie The Wordsmith (@berniethewordsmith.bsky.social):

Penny!! 😂🤣🤣

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

i just want to frame in my mind what to expect if a hypothetical G*merGate leader scenario happens

Bernie The Wordsmith (@berniethewordsmith.bsky.social):

They will come, unfortunately. They are like the Nazgul. Fortunately, better weapons are now at our disposal

vortex egg, MLIS (@vortexegg.com):

Historian James Web might describe RFK Jr's ideas as part of the occult underground (cf the book of the same name). Sociologist Colin Campbell might describe them as part of the cultic milieu (cf The Cult, the Cultic Milieu, and Secularisation). They are not "controversial" as much as "oppositional"

Mike Caulfield (@mikecaulfield.bsky.social):

Yeah, we have to ditch this whole use of "controversial". Controversy implies two sides, even if one is considerably weaker. But a claim that chemtrails exist is not "controversial" and even "unsupported" gives it too much credit, implying there is a chance it could be supported at some point.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Potentially followed by "… defiant disorder", if one were to hazard a guess

Bluesky Safety (@safety.bsky.app):

We're rolling out an update shortly to email verification to prevent harassment and trolling from throwaway accounts.

New users may need to verify their account email before they can create a post.

Thanks for your understanding!

Dean Cruddace (@devs.uk):

Disposable email addys.

Bake in a recheck at (random times), for disposables this will be a breaker.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Sadly, a random-recheck won't affect many disposables, which act simply as a private relay (cough apple cough) to an established and monitored email inbox.

There's … other techniques.

Dean Cruddace (@devs.uk):

Agreed, it's the first line though right?

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Yep. Have to use all the techniques just in case they work, and to keep the Bad Actor from deducing that they've overcome Technique Y but not Technique Z

Dean Cruddace (@devs.uk):

Get a full time infosec, spending all their time on techniques, to mitigate and at worst, patch.

Bluesky Safety (@safety.bsky.app):

Bluesky has grown by over 3M people in the last week — welcome!

With every wave of growth naturally comes an increase in moderation reports. Here's a status report on how the Trust & Safety team is handling it:

Bluesky Safety (@safety.bsky.app):

In the past 24 hours, we have received more than 42,000 reports (an all-time high for one day). We're receiving about 3,000 reports/hour. To put that into context, in all of 2023, we received 360k reports.

We're triaging this large queue so the most harmful content such as CSAM is removed quickly.

Bluesky Safety (@safety.bsky.app):

With this significant influx of users, we've also seen increased spam, scam, and trolling activity — you may have seen some of this yourself.

Our team is reviewing these accounts, and you can help us by reporting them by clicking the three-dot menu on each post/account.

Bluesky Safety (@safety.bsky.app):

We appreciate your patience as we dial our moderation team up to max capacity and bring on new team members to support this load. Your safety is our highest priority, and we're glad to welcome you to Bluesky!

Danni Askini (@dnadmv.bsky.social):

I'm really curious why BlueSky and other Social Media don't implement a community monitoring volunteer program, with moderator certification & retaining and distributed content moderation - pushing non-CSM / triggering content to trained volunteers. Is this just too difficult to scale? Too variable?

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

In addition to what others have mentioned, the way that would have to be handled is a labour law morass; if a social media site specifically directs volunteer moderators, they become employees. It also opens a limitless amount of fiscal liability from the potential loss of DMCA safe harbour.

Danni Askini (@dnadmv.bsky.social):

SHOW MORE

Bluesky Safety (@safety.bsky.app):

We're rolling out an update shortly to email verification to prevent harassment and trolling from throwaway accounts.

New users may need to verify their account email before they can create a post.

Thanks for your understanding!

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Bonzer choice. Congratulations & thanks to the T&S team.

Emma Cumslutress 🏳️⚧️ (@cumslutress.love):

heading to the desert this weekend with @ohno.imightbe.gay

me walking into the national park like "so which tree specifically is named Joshua?"

Staccata (@stacy.is.relentlessly.online):

just remember that the teddy-bear cholla need hugs and love like we all do

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

S t a c y

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

From 2019 to 2022, I used Reddit's API & a "firehose" service to trawl the site for White Identity Extremists codewords / shibboleths / handshakes, to find and take action on hate groups & racially motivated violent extremists. "Deus Vult" was one of the phrases I queried every single day.

Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw.bsky.social):

Chilling.

Internal email that led to identifying Pete Hegseth as potential "Insider Threat" in National Guard.⬇️

It was clearly due to his tattoo "associated with Supremacist groups."

On air, Hegseth has FALSELY claimed the reason was for a different (religious) tattoo.

apnews.com/article/trum...

Emma Cumslutress 🏳️⚧️ (@cumslutress.love):

heading to the desert this weekend with @ohno.imightbe.gay

me walking into the national park like "so which tree specifically is named Joshua?"

Sarah (@sibwow.bsky.social):

They all are

liv (@livfreeorcry.gay):

they're all named Joshua, but none of them are trees

Emma Cumslutress 🏳️⚧️ (@cumslutress.love):

WHAT

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

They are Asparagi.

Asparagaceae, a monocot angiosperm. Ultimately, they are grasses.

Emma Cumslutress 🏳️⚧️ (@cumslutress.love):

STOLEN ARBOR VALOR

Domesday Prepper 🏳️⚧️ (@aprilsaga.gay):

As a bisexual trans woman, I'm statistically the most likely to flick erin_yes on the nose if she approaches me in a bar

mallory 🌷 (@normal.lol):

erin yes: bisexuals are "statistically the most turned on by your transition"

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

… she might be excited by that prospect

One never knows, which is why greyrock + locking the receipts away in case of broken glass, is the best policy

multi-mara❣️🌌🌹🔮 (@marallmighty.bsky.social):

🌹 I've gained close to 1k followers in a week ques que de frick is happening

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

A social awakening to just how garbage the ideology of Twitter's owner really is

Bonnie (#1 pigeon fan) (@bennie.gay):

Jesse Singal has been one of the leaders in spreading misinformation about trans people into liberal spaces.

He should be mocked & blocked on sight.

Wootmaster (@wootmaster.bsky.social):

anyway jesse singal is on his way over so be prepared to block him whenever he pops up

.mél. (@meladroite.bsky.social):

P sure he's here

bsky.app/profile/jess...

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Added to my Transphobes list.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jagldyome3h27twtp46nxen7/bafkreiapbwkgbsxkgbfxezgnr4yspbxriydavbeqkhdd5h7cxl6g2gajae@jpeg

Keep science out of your mouth, if you're trying to justify hate and ignorance! (Gender vs s*x)

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

You've got one shot to apologise and make amends, before BlueSky becomes a very empty and simple social media platform for you

Cesena Marie 🕷️ 🏳️⚧️ (@thelibraryces.bsky.social):

Guys trying to drum up work and he acts like this?

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jagldyome3h27twtp46nxen7/bafkreiapbwkgbsxkgbfxezgnr4yspbxriydavbeqkhdd5h7cxl6g2gajae@jpeg

Keep science out of your mouth, if you're trying to justify hate and ignorance! (Gender vs s*x)

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

@hedgehogsafety.bsky.social

@brainnotonyet.bsky.social

@numb.comfortab.ly

One for the lists

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

It's @ wargodarts.bsky.social to be listed.

Bluesky

Bernie The Wordsmith (@berniethewordsmith.bsky.social):

@skywitches.net Hey Penny, so far, have you been getting any threats/harassment from the people you included on your lists? Thinking in creating a moderation list for vaccine-denialism superspreaders in Spanish, but I'm a bit worried. Any advice?

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

I've been harassed & threatened for 5 years.

My advice is: Remain as anonymous as possible; Have a published set of criteria for inclusion on the blocklist (i.e. "must say that: vaccines cause autism; don't work; are worse than the diseases they prevent; have trackers; …")

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

BlueSky has a capability of running Labeling Services, which can both label accounts & publish blocklists; people who subscribe to the labeler can send anonymous reports to the labeling service, which can be handled by staff. You might want that.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Someone being an abrasive, unpleasant jerk isn't enough for them to land on one of my blocklists; someone being an abrasive, unpleasant jerk in the name of an ideology — is.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Cornyn has been ride-or-die for Republican supremacy for his entire career. The Leopards Eating Faces Party.

Can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding

Media Matters for America (@mmfa.bsky.social):

Bannon on Sen. John Cornyn saying he wants to see the Matt Gaetz ethics report: "You either get with the program, brother, or you're going to finish third in your primary" www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon...

Stephen C. Rea (@stevierea.bsky.social):

Hmm, Alex Jones is still using the Infowars logo and talking about the brand in advertising (they're old ads, but still) on his new site and channel…

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

chanting Invoice Him! Roy-al-ties!

Moody Loner (@moodyloner.bsky.social):

Hey @bencollins.bsky.social is this a thing that is happening? If it is, Alex Jones apparently wants to give you more of his no money

Understand if you don't want to confirm or deny here because legal issues, just saying

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Presuming the status conference goes well and the judge doesn't make them do-over,

Yeah, they should absolutely publish statutory IP royalty rates & invoice AJ / whoever for use of the IP, and then sell those unpaid invoices to collections

Moody Loner (@moodyloner.bsky.social):

The thought of Alex Jones having to deal with collection agencies warms my heart.

Terry (@impulsiveent.bsky.social):

@skywitches.net I am looking at your Nazi list. Deffinately a lot of jerks on t here but also several people who are anti-maga anti-fascist on there too.

@darkangel7215.bsky.social for example.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

I've reviewed darkangel7215 — and will pull hat account off the lists. It was added due to use of the MAGA / AF Lion iconography in PFP & a banner featuring a MAGA shibboleth, but those appear to be ironic uses

Terry (@impulsiveent.bsky.social):

Thank you for the reply.

Honestly I am a little weary of these lists. I use sarcasm and worried that one of my sarcastic posts will add me to these lists and I will be blocked by everybody :(

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

Blocklist Advisory #1 for my Transphobes Blocklist:

Jesse Singal is a transphobe. Jesse Singal made a tweet on Twitter a few years back announcing that he deep-dove KiwiFarms in an attempt to proclaim KiwiFarms Did Nothing Wrong.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

His PA for his podcast, Trace Woodgrains, pulled a hoax stunt targeting Austin teachers & did so by working with a KiwiFarms spinoff group, & works with a White Identity Extremist / transphobe who plagued Reddit.

Proclaiming "Jesse Singal Did Nothing Wrong" is evidentiary of transphobia.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

There's a lot more receipts than those, but those are what rise to the equivalent of Wikipedia notability, and those are what the scheduling will rest on.

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

To all the LGBTQ allies out there

When you see a big "Blue Resistance" account making a "joke" where the punchline is It's Shameful To Be Trans / Gay (Lipstick & makeup on Trump, Elon inna tutu & labelled "Sissy")

Maybe do the right thing and hold them to account?

Allyship is doing.

Nordic Viking 🇩🇰🇸🇪🇫🇮🇳🇴🇮🇸-🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@fightallfascism.bsky.social):

Hey

I shared you maga/nazi pack.

I get the question why heidicuda is on the list?

Ms. Penny Oaken, SkyWitch (@skywitches.net):

I don't have heidicuda on my lists - she might be on someone else's list.

Nordic Viking 🇩🇰🇸🇪🇫🇮🇳🇴🇮🇸-🇺🇦🇬🇪 (@fightallfascism.bsky.social):

Okay sry then... Must investigate then 🤔🤣

janny with a mop. janny with a mop.

Granny panties and a dress. Granny panties and a dress.

6 foot 4 and a mugshot. 6 foot 4 and a mugshot.

Child abuse and no job. Child abuse and no job.

Living in mama's sunroom. Living in mama's sunroom.

Giant pale hands and lipstick. Giant pale hands and lipstick.