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Why We're Different
- closeScrapes content without permission
- closeIgnores user privacy settings
- closeDeleted content stays indexed for weeks
- closeOpting out is difficult or impossible
- closeOperates invisibly in the background
- checkUses standard ActivityPub federation
- checkRespects user privacy settings (indexable flag)
- checkDeletions happen instantly via ActivityPub
- checkMultiple easy ways to opt out
- checkVisible as a follower you can block
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Real-Time Synchronization
Unlike crawlers that periodically scrape content, we receive ActivityPub activities in real-time. Your changes are reflected immediately.
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New Post
When you publish, we receive it instantly via Create activity
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Delete Post
When you delete, we receive Delete activity and remove it immediately
edit
Edit Post
When you edit, we receive Update activity and update our index
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Block Us
When you block us, all your content is deleted from our index
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Mention Us
Mention us with "follow" or "unfollow" to control your indexing
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Privacy Settings We Respect
We only index users who have not opted out. We check these settings before following:
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Indexable Not Disabled
User has not disabled the "indexable" option (enabled by default on most instances)
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Public Account
Account is not locked (no follow approval required)
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No Opt-Out Markers
Bio does not contain #nobot or #noindex hashtags
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Easy Opt-Out
You have complete control. Any of these actions will remove all your content from our index:
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Disable the "indexable" option in your profile
tag
Add #nobot or #noindex to your bio
lock
Lock your account (require follow approval)
block
Block @HolosDiscover directly
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Mention us with "unfollow"
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We will unfollow you and delete all your indexed content immediately.
How to disable indexing
Mastodon
Preferences → Profile → Privacy and reach
→ Include public posts in search results
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Pleroma / Akkoma
Settings → Security
→ Allow search engines to index your profile
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Misskey / Firefish / Sharkey
Settings → Privacy
→ Allow indexing
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Mention Commands
You can control your indexing by mentioning us directly:
@HolosDiscover follow
follow
We will send you a follow request (if you consent to indexing)
@HolosDiscover unfollow
unfollow
We will unfollow you and remove all your content from our index
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Commands work in public posts or direct messages.
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How We Discover Users
We don't crawl the web. We discover users organically through the Fediverse network:
1
Network Activity
We see users through boosts, mentions, and replies from accounts we already follow
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2
Consent Check
We verify the user has indexable=true, is not locked, and has no opt-out markers
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3
Follow Request
We send a standard ActivityPub Follow request — visible in their followers list
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4
Receive Posts
Once accepted, we receive their public posts via ActivityPub activities
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What We Don't Collect
We respect your privacy. Here's what we never index or store:
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Direct messages or followers-only posts
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Your follower or following lists
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IP addresses or tracking data
analytics
No analytics, cookies, or third-party trackers
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Open Source
Holos Discover is free software under AGPL-3.0. Audit our code, report issues, or contribute.
Our Actor
@HolosDiscover@discover.holos.social
Protocol
ActivityPub
License
AGPL-3.0
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View Source Code