Difference between revisions of "Qoto.org"
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[[qoto.org]] is a STEM-oriented Mastodon instance. While having a lot of valid science content, they have also unfortunately chosen a "free speech" approach to moderation, which means that anti-science content and toxic users are allowed to proliferate. Numerous users (on and off TootCat) have brought this to our attention. | [[qoto.org]] is a STEM-oriented Mastodon instance. While having a lot of valid science content, they have also unfortunately chosen a "free speech" approach to moderation, which means that anti-science content and toxic users are allowed to proliferate. Numerous users (on and off TootCat) have brought this to our attention. | ||
| − | The domain was registered on 2008-05-31, long before Mastodon existed, and appears to have | + | The domain was registered on 2008-05-31<sup>{{l/sub|whois}}</sup>, long before Mastodon existed, and appears to have first been used in 2011 to present content<ref name=qoto-archive-1 /> from [[Syncleus]], Jeffrey Freeman's think-tank<ref name=syncleus-freeman-bio />. The earliest evidence of its being a Mastodon instance is in July, 2018<ref name=qoto-archive-2 />, at which time the slogan was "Question Others, Teach Others". |
On [[2022/11/17]], Jeffrey Freeman (believed to be the admin or possibly owner) used a tool published by the now-defunct {{l/ip|Kiwi Farms}} online-terrorism organization to identify instances which had blocked QOTO, and sent out [[2022/11/17/QOTO|an email]] to the admins of each asking to have the block removed. The email, unfortunately, did not really address the issues, and made a number of questionable claims. | On [[2022/11/17]], Jeffrey Freeman (believed to be the admin or possibly owner) used a tool published by the now-defunct {{l/ip|Kiwi Farms}} online-terrorism organization to identify instances which had blocked QOTO, and sent out [[2022/11/17/QOTO|an email]] to the admins of each asking to have the block removed. The email, unfortunately, did not really address the issues, and made a number of questionable claims. | ||
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<references> | <references> | ||
<ref name=qoto-archive-1>'''2011-09-23 archive''': [https://web.archive.org/web/20110923131305/http://www.qoto.org/ qoto.org home page]</ref> | <ref name=qoto-archive-1>'''2011-09-23 archive''': [https://web.archive.org/web/20110923131305/http://www.qoto.org/ qoto.org home page]</ref> | ||
| + | <ref name=qoto-archive-2>'''2018-07-10 archive''': [https://web.archive.org/web/20180710004851/https://qoto.org/about qoto.org about page]</ref> | ||
<ref name=syncleus-freeman-bio>'''2011-07-16 archive''': [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716181415/http://www.syncleus.com/about-us/our-team/ Syncleus: Our Team: Jeffrey Freeman, CTO, President, & Chairman]</ref> | <ref name=syncleus-freeman-bio>'''2011-07-16 archive''': [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716181415/http://www.syncleus.com/about-us/our-team/ Syncleus: Our Team: Jeffrey Freeman, CTO, President, & Chairman]</ref> | ||
</references> | </references> | ||
Revision as of 17:55, 18 November 2022
qoto.org: "Question Others to Teach Ourselves. A STEM-oriented instance."
- site: qoto.org
- status: silenced (November 2022)
About
qoto.org is a STEM-oriented Mastodon instance. While having a lot of valid science content, they have also unfortunately chosen a "free speech" approach to moderation, which means that anti-science content and toxic users are allowed to proliferate. Numerous users (on and off TootCat) have brought this to our attention.
The domain was registered on 2008-05-31whois, long before Mastodon existed, and appears to have first been used in 2011 to present content[1] from Syncleus, Jeffrey Freeman's think-tank[2]. The earliest evidence of its being a Mastodon instance is in July, 2018[3], at which time the slogan was "Question Others, Teach Others".
On 2022/11/17, Jeffrey Freeman (believed to be the admin or possibly owner) used a tool published by the now-defunct Kiwi Farms online-terrorism organization to identify instances which had blocked QOTO, and sent out an email to the admins of each asking to have the block removed. The email, unfortunately, did not really address the issues, and made a number of questionable claims.
History
- 2022-11-17 email from QOTO sent to numerous instances, requesting lift of limitations
- 2022-11-12 On request from a new user, this was changed from block to silence.
- 2022-11-?? Instance suspended. "An inclusive free speech instance," transmisia, COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, etc.
Footnotes
- ↑ 2011-09-23 archive: qoto.org home page
- ↑ 2011-07-16 archive: Syncleus: Our Team: Jeffrey Freeman, CTO, President, & Chairman
- ↑ 2018-07-10 archive: qoto.org about page