How to save LFGSS and what it looks like (the not so legal way)

So a few of you have wondered about this, so let's go there.

To ignore the OSA by making it not applicable as much as possible, and essentially to replicate the setup of sites that do piracy and dodgy stuff.

You will need:

1. A domain name in a neutral country, Switzerland is good... and some backup domain names, Sweden is also good. Avoid the US and UK domain names including .com .net etc.
   
2. Move the servers to another country, Sweden, Germany and Denmark are pretty good.
   
3. Place the load balancer for the servers in another country again, still Sweden, Germany or Denmark, but don't make it the same as where the servers are.
   
4. Configure the forum to hide everything by default... just lock it down.
   
5. Configure the forum to have a manual review of new accounts... if they don't meet a threshold don't give them access.
   
6. Set up crowdfunding in a way that is deniable when linked to the forum... it does stuff, maybe it's a cycle club ;)
   
7. Replace email authentication with a TOTP or passkey only.
   
8. Disable email notifications.
   
   

In this World... the only thing that can be a risk to the forum are the members itself... in this World, move the moderation of existing members to be near zero tolerance. If someone even half flounces... kick them immediately and lock them out, if someone takes up time of the moderators... kick them and lock them out. The biggest risk is the members themselves.

All of the above is very, very trivial to do... and would be a maze for any authority to shut down. Every time "they" (authorities) go through the expensive and time consuming process of getting legal access to a domain name, or shutting down a load balancer... it takes moments and very low cost to set up a new one. This is extra nice because we actually think we're low risk... we don't even have illegal content... and we moderate pretty damn well... so this is a very high bar for enforcement, for what is a very low risk target... this route makes it disproportionately hard to shut down something of disproportionately low risk. It's even harder for any authority as they won't be able to see what's going on, they rely on snitches.

The key here is facades over facades, an unknown (to everyone who isn't a member) name of the site, and every layer in a different country.

Sounds perfect, where do I sign up?

Is the key also having the money to cover this so you don't have to cover our fun?

Would I be forward in saying that costs are covered for a year?

Would I be forward in saying that costs are covered for a year?

Well I've no idea where you got that impression from, it's been an aspiration but we've seldom managed it.

In recent years we've hovered around the 1-3 months worth of funds, it rises in the Summer, and declines in the Winter. Right now, Winter, we have less than a month of funds and I've been bailing it out each month by covering the difference.

But hey, if you want to put up the money, then I guess it could be covered for a year.

It is not an impression, just what I was thinking of off the top of my head.
Was thinking that there should be enough in the coffers so you don't have to fund us and enough of a buffer for you not to be concerned about funding. That is all.

This sounds the most rock n roll solution, so therefore the best.

Do we get a secret handshake?

If this is your prefered option Velocio; and it sounds like it.

Lets do this!

A Utopian online community, no terfs, sex pests, racists or fixiebieks. One strike and you're out.

So how easy would it be to set something like this up? Would it require the same amount of maintenance as lufuguss does now?

What’s the URL domain extension thingy for Utopia?

You forgot mysogny... especially meme posts....

It is some magical place that lives in the minds of certain members who believe their mysogny/racism/classified abuse of people is acceptable.
The issue is that all it takes is a pile on (that some members enjoy) to get a legal recourse that doesn't affect those that made the comments but the website owner.

So, why not?

I’m happy to take over any domain registration needed either personally or in the name of a company/charity/person at my cost. Happy to work out a TLD that is more protective too.

Still needs someone to run the tech, I can't as I've been doing it, and the point and purpose is to make who is running it be near impossible to determine.

The issue is that all it takes is a pile on (that some members enjoy) to get a legal recourse that doesn't affect those that made the comments but the website owner.

If users have ticked a checkbox to accept platform rules, breached those rules and caused the platform owner to be fined.
Could the platform owner pursue users to reclaim costs?
Obviously identifying said user may be impossible with VPNs, but paying a sub would add some traceability.

The issue is that all it takes is a pile on (that some members enjoy) to get a legal recourse that doesn't affect those that made the comments but the website owner.

I would ban the victim.

To be very clear the risk of a closed community is a snitch, and the victim is most likely to snitch... So they would be the first to be banned.

A closed community is a different culture, not better, not worse, but different.

I have mixed feelings about a closed community. While I like it because I'd personally benefit, it feels a bit unfair that no outsiders can.

Could the platform owner pursue users to reclaim costs?

1. Irl it's really hard to get money out of people even when you have an address and judgement against them.
   
2. Litigation sucks up so much money and effort for an uncertain outcome.
   
3. I'm incredibly sceptical that you can get a private individual to accept/underwrite that risk. Plus there still being uncertainty over causation.
   

just thinking out loud, and this is a bit fantasy, but - if the forum went closed in this way, could (an unnamed set of developer/s) start building out all the tools needed to comply with the OSA in their own timeframe (rather than with a hard deadline of March 2025). And then in time reverse points 4,5,7,8 when it was ready & open back up again? I suppose there could still be a liability for historic content in the period March2025 to reopening date?

I have mixed feelings about a closed community. While I like it because I'd personally benefit, it feels a bit unfair that no outsiders can.

^Banned

I'm may be missing something that's already mentioned, but how would this work? Would you simply migrate all the current users of the forum to a new closed community as you already have some details for them, and have us all set up new passwords etc or email each current user details of it and let them set themselves up that way as anyone who got the email must presumably be a member on here to receive it? Or something else my noTech brain can't envisage? Or would there be a purge of non active members as well first, as there must be loads of old unused accounts from all those types who just set them up to sell things etc. - all the non 'named' users for example that just show up as 'user12345' and presumably aren't that invested, and who could be extra liability perhaps?