Last update Jan. 26, 2025
How to protect myself?
Users can protect their Mastodon accounts by selecting trusted instances and adjusting privacy settings.
- Choose reputable instances with good privacy policies
- Limit public sharing of sensitive information
- Use strong passwords and enable 2FA
- Review and customize privacy settings regularly
What data are collected?
Mastodon collects minimal personal data, focusing primarily on user-provided content and interactions.
- Account information (username, email, profile data)
- Posts (Toots), replies, and direct messages
- Follows, followers, and interactions
- IP address and login activity
How are my data used?
Data is used to provide social networking functionality and enhance the federated experience.
- Used to display posts and interactions on different instances
- Aggregated data helps instance moderation efforts
- No targeted advertising or selling of personal data
What happens when I sign up?
Signing up for Mastodon involves choosing an instance, creating an account, and interacting with decentralized communities.
- Select an instance with specific policies
- Provide basic profile information
- Your activity is only stored on the chosen instance
How can I delete my data?
Users can delete their Mastodon account via the instance settings, though federated copies may remain.
- Navigate to Account Settings > Delete Account
- Some data may remain on federated instances
- Instance admins may retain logs for moderation purposes
Historical privacy concerns
While Mastodon is privacy-focused, concerns exist regarding federated data persistence and instance security.
- Data visibility across instances can be hard to control
- Not all instances have strong security policies
- Data deletion across the entire network isn't guaranteed
How does AI personalize my experience?
Mastodon does not use AI personalization; users control their own content preferences.
- Content is displayed in chronological order
- User-defined filters to manage feed visibility
- No automated recommendations based on behavior
Is my data used to train AI models?
Mastodon does not use user data to train AI models or develop algorithmic features.
- User data remains within the selected instance
- No data sharing with third-party AI services
- Privacy-focused, non-commercial platform
Does this service use AI?
Mastodon does not use AI for content moderation or recommendations; instead, it relies on community-driven moderation.
- No algorithmic timeline; content is chronological
- Content moderation is handled by human administrators
- No AI-based targeted advertising
What security standards does this service use?
Mastodon provides security features such as encrypted connections and instance-level security policies.
- Encrypted connections via HTTPS
- Instance-level moderation and security policies
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) available for accounts
How does Mastodon handle government data requests?
As a decentralized platform, data requests must be directed to individual instance administrators.
- No central authority manages user data
- Instances may have different legal obligations
- Users should review instance policies regarding data requests
How is my data protected from breaches?
Mastodon relies on individual instance security measures, with varying levels of protection.
- Instance administrators are responsible for securing data
- Data encryption is dependent on instance settings
- Users should choose reputable instances for better security