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Instances blocking other instances is a complete deal-breaker for me. If I were to want an “open source community” experience, I would’ve hoped that instance operators would be powerless to stop me from following whoever I want. And yet, by the sounds of it, “following” people happens on the server instead of the client.

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If you have your own instance (server, time to maintain it, and so on), is it possible to follow whomever you want?

Until you encounter an instance that blocks any instance federating with what they consider undesirable. Then you have to choose.

Oh, so it's like a viral thing? If your instance follows an instance that has blocked all other instances, then your instance cannot view those blocked ones.

Maybe I don't understand it. Or maybe that's the idea of federation.

So, the solution is then to have your instance join the larger federation (for convenience), and then sign up as just an account on all other blocked ones. I guess.

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