App Spotlight: Mastadon Network

Oct 23 / Admin
"Stanford researchers find Mastodon has a massive child abuse material problem"
- The Verge


Mastodon is a decentralized social media network made up of independent servers organized around specific themes, topics, or interests. People can join servers, follow each other, engage in conversations, and otherwise do all sorts of things they'd expect to do on a social network. However, Mastodon is different from other social networks in a few key ways:


Decentralized

Open Source

Federated

Similar to BitTorrent

  • It is decentralized, meaning that there is no single entity in control of the network. Instead, each server is operated by its own administrator or group of administrators. This makes Mastodon more resistant to censorship and interference.
• It is open source, meaning that the code that powers Mastodon is freely available for anyone to inspect and modify. This makes Mastodon more transparent and accountable, and it also allows for the development of new features and functionality by the community.
• It is federated, meaning that different Mastodon servers can communicate with each other. This allows users on different servers to follow and interact with each other.
To get started on Mastodon, you need to create an account on a server. There are thousands of servers to choose from, each with its own focus and community.

Once you have created an account, you can start following other users and posting your own  content. Mastodon posts, known as "toots," can be up to 500 characters long. Toots can include text, images, videos, and links. You can also use hashtags to categorize your toots and make them easier to find. There are a number of different applications that can be used to access and interact with Mastodon. Some of the most popular applications include:

Mastodon itself: This is the software that powers the Mastodon network.   

Tusky: A popular Mastodon client for Android devices.

Metatext: A popular Mastodon client for iOS devices.

Mastodon.js: A JavaScript library for building Mastodon clients.

Pinafore: A Mastodon bot that helps users to discover and follow new accounts.  

Mastodon is a rapidly growing social network, and there are many other programs and services that are being developed for it.

Stanford researchers find Mastodon has a massive child abuse material problem

Write your awesome label here.

Takeaways

The use of Mastodon in and of itself is not illegal.
Should you find one of your suspects/ parolees/ probationers using a Mastodon client you should dig a little deeper.
Understand how these decentralized apps can circumvent government oversight and make investigations more difficult.
Should you find CSAM or contraband on an app utilizing Mastodon remember that there is no one to serve search warrants to so you must get your evidence from the device.

Get in touch

  • admin@inv-network.org

About Us

Inv-Network was created to support those who are tasked with the difficult job of protecting children from online child exploitation. Our goal is to provide community, resources, and training to Law Enforcement, District Attorney's, and Parole & Probation Officers.
Copyright © 2023