We're thrilled to announce that our Kickstarter campaign has already reached 157% of its initial goal! But we're not stopping there - we're aiming for $1 million to build a full-time team dedicated to developing the future of ethical social networking.

After the incredible success of our Pixelfed mobile app launch - climbing higher than Facebook and Telegram in App Store rankings - we're scaling up. With over 200,000 accounts on pixelfed.social alone, we need your support to build the infrastructure and team that will take Pixelfed to the next level.

Our Vision

We're building social platforms that put people first:

• No ads or algorithmic manipulation
• No tracking or data harvesting
• Pure photography and authentic connections
• Powered by ActivityPub and the Fediverse

What We're Building

The Pixelfed ecosystem includes:

• Pixelfed: Our flagship photo-sharing platform, challenging Instagram with a focus on photography and authentic expression
• Loops: A forthcoming video platform built on the same ethical principles
• Sup: Private messaging that respects your privacy
• Pubkit: Essential ActivityPub tools for developers building the future of the Fediverse

Campaign Goals

Your support will help us:

• Accelerate development on Pixelfed (Web, Apple iOS and Android)
• Accelerate development on Loops (Web, Apple iOS and Android)
• Plan development on Sup (Apple iOS and Android)
• Expand the moderation, security, privacy and safety platforms
• Get Pixelfed/Loops/Sup translated into multiple languages

With stretch goals including:

• Full time development
• Hire additional developers
• Build a cloud/CDN platform for the Fediverse
• Register Pixelfed Foundation as a legal entity

Join the Movement

The Kickstarter launched on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025. Your support will help shape a future where social networking respects privacy, values freedom, and prioritizes safety.

The future is federated – be part of it.

Support us on Kickstarter →

"More Privacy, More Safety. More Variety. Building alternatives to the biggest apps in the world."

Press Information

For media inquiries or additional information:

• Download Press Release (PDF)
• Contact: press@pixelfed.org

Community is at the heart of every social platform, but not all communities are created equal. Pixelfed is taking a step further to ensure that its community doesn't just grow, but flourishes with genuine, engaged, and creative individuals.

What is Curated Onboarding?

Curated Onboarding is Pixelfed's innovative strategy that transcends the standard sign-up process. This approach involves a more personalized method to understand each applicant's intentions and aspirations within the platform. It's a thoughtful, considerate process that not only ensures a good fit for the community but also fosters a sense of belonging right from the start.

How does Curated Onboarding work?

The onboarding process is straightforward yet personal:

1. Application Submission: Users start by submitting a personal note along with their username and email, providing insight into their interests and why they're excited to join Pixelfed.

2. Review and Interaction: The Pixelfed instance admin team reviews each application individually. If there's a need for more information, they reach out with a special form, inviting a detailed response. This ensures a fair and thorough evaluation.

3. Decision – Acceptance or Rejection: Applications are thoughtfully considered. Acceptance includes a warm welcome and instructions for account activation, while rejection is handled respectfully, keeping future possibilities open.

The Importance of Curated Onboarding

Curated Onboarding is significant for several reasons:

• Fostering Quality Connections: Pixelfed values the quality of connections over quantity. The onboarding process is designed to ensure that new members contribute positively and meaningfully to the platform, making each interaction enjoyable and rewarding.

• Ensuring Safety and Respect: A meticulous onboarding process is crucial in upholding a secure and respectful atmosphere. It ensures that each new member is acquainted with, and adheres to, the community's fundamental values of kindness and inclusivity.

• Encouraging Community Engagement: By engaging with applicants from the start, Pixelfed fosters a community that's not just active but passionate. This approach welcomes users who are genuinely interested in making a positive contribution to Pixelfed's vibrant community.

With Curated Onboarding, Pixelfed is setting a new standard in community building, prioritizing a personalized and engaged experience from the very beginning. It's an invitation to be part of a community that's as interested in you as you are in it.

How to enable Curated Onboarding

We made it really easy to use:

1. Navigate to your admin dashboard

2. Tap on the "Settings" link in the sidebar

3. Under the "Registration Status" label, select "Filtered - Anyone can apply (Curated Onboarding)"

4. Tap "Save"

Curated Onboarding is now active, and you will notice a new "Curated Onboarding" link in the admin dashboard.

How to enable admin notifications for new applications

If you have properly configured a mail driver, you can configure Pixelfed to send an email to admins when an applicant has successfuly verified their email and is awaiting your approval (or rejection).

1. Open your .env file

2. Add INSTANCE_CUR_REG_NOTIFY_ADMIN_ON_VERIFY=true to your .env file and save it

3. From the CLI, run the following command:

php artisan config:cache && php artisan cache:clear

Curated Onboarding is more than just a feature — it's a commitment to building a community where each member is valued and engaged.

Join Pixelfed and embark on a visual journey with a community that cares.

Meet the Naive Bayes classifier – a true legend in the realm of spam detection. While technology has advanced by leaps and bounds since its inception, this venerable algorithm continues to prove its worth as a stalwart guardian against the relentless tide of unwanted messages.

Join us on a journey as we delve into the timeless efficacy of Naive Bayes, unravel its inner workings, and explore how it still stands strong in the modern fight against spam on Pixelfed.

In a world where the fight against spam has grown increasingly complex, it's almost poetic that one of the oldest players in the game, the Naive Bayes classifier, remains an essential tool in the arsenal of spam detection. Born in the late 18th century as a probabilistic theorem and later adapted for machine learning applications, Naive Bayes gained prominence in the early days of the internet as a solution to the rising tide of unwanted emails flooding inboxes.

The concept behind Naive Bayes is elegantly simple: it calculates the probability that a given message is spam or not spam based on the presence of certain words in its content. What makes it "naive" is its assumption of word independence – it treats each word in a message as if it's unrelated to the others, which is a bit oversimplified but surprisingly effective. By examining the frequency of specific words in both spam and non-spam messages during a training phase, Naive Bayes builds a model that can then classify new messages accordingly.

While it might seem like a throwback to a simpler time, Naive Bayes possesses remarkable staying power due to its reliability and efficiency. In an era where machine learning models can become astonishingly intricate, the straightforward nature of Naive Bayes can be a breath of fresh air. It requires relatively less computational resources compared to its more complex counterparts, making it an attractive choice for applications where speed and simplicity are key.

Even as the digital world has transformed over the years, with social media platforms like Pixelfed becoming hubs for visual sharing and communication, the challenge of spam remains as relevant as ever. Pixelfed's ingenious implementation of the Naive Bayes classifier to combat spam is a testament to the algorithm's versatility. By analyzing the captions accompanying images, Pixelfed's spam filter can swiftly determine whether a post contains genuine content or is simply trying to clutter your feed with unwanted promotions or irrelevant information.

In a landscape where cutting-edge algorithms and artificial intelligence solutions often grab the spotlight, it's important to remember the foundational techniques that laid the groundwork for today's sophisticated technologies. The Naive Bayes classifier is a true pioneer in the field of spam detection, proving that sometimes, the simplest solutions can be the most effective.

In conclusion, as we marvel at the rapid progress of technology, it's refreshing to acknowledge the lasting impact of the Naive Bayes classifier in the realm of spam filtering. Its ability to adapt and stay relevant over the decades is a testament to its intrinsic value. Whether it's filtering out unwanted emails from the 90s or tackling modern challenges like image captions on social media platforms, Naive Bayes continues to remind us that the classics never truly go out of style. So, the next time you hit the 'mark as spam' button on Pixelfed, take a moment to appreciate the enduring legacy of an algorithm that's been defending our digital spaces for generations.

How to enable Autospam + Advanced Autospam

We made it super easy to get started and use.

1. Make sure you are running v0.11.8 or later
2. Navigate to the Admin Dashboard
3. Navigate to the Settings page
4. Check the Spam detection box and then press save (stop here if you only want classic detection, you probably want Advanced though)
5. Navigate to the Autospam page
6. Press the Enable Advanced Detection button
7. Press the Train Autospam tab on the Autospam page
8. Press the Train Spam button, then press the Train Non-Spam button

Congrats, you've successfully enabled Advanced Autospam detection!

How to configure Autospam email notifications

You can easily configure an email address to send Autospam detection notifications if you have properly configured mail delivery settings.

1. Make sure you are running v0.11.8 or later
2. Open your .env file in an editor and add the following lines:

INSTANCE_REPORTS_EMAIL_ADDRESSES=''
INSTANCE_REPORTS_EMAIL_ENABLED=true
INSTANCE_REPORTS_EMAIL_AUTOSPAM=true

3. Replace the INSTANCE_REPORTS_EMAIL_ADDRESSES='' with your email address like the example below

INSTANCE_REPORTS_EMAIL_ADDRESSES='admin@example.org'

4. Save the .env file
5. Then run the following CLI command to update your config:

php artisan config:cache && php artisan cache:clear

Congrats, you successfully setup email notifications for Autospam!

How to add custom tokens

The "custom token" feature allows users to personalize their spam detection in Pixelfed.

Users can define specific words or phrases as "spam" or "not spam" tokens. These tokens serve as personalized indicators for the system to identify content that matches the user's preferences.

This feature empowers users to take an active role in fine-tuning their spam filter, tailoring it to their unique needs and enhancing the accuracy of content classification on the platform.

1. Make sure you are running v0.11.8 or later
2. Navigate to the Admin Dashboard
3. Navigate to the Autospam page
4. Press the Manage Tokens tab on the Autospam page
5. Press the Create New Token button
6. Define the token in the token input
7. Set an optional weight (defines precidence, safe to leave set to default value)
8. Set the category, either spam or not spam
9. Set an optional note to explain for future reference (never shown to users)
10. Make sure the active checkbox is checked
11. Press Save

Congrats, you successfully trained Autospam with a custom token!

How to import/export training data

The Autospam Import/Export feature in Pixelfed enables users to transfer their training data, which helps improve the accuracy of the spam detection system. Users can export their training data to save or share with others.

However, it's crucial to exercise caution when sharing this data, as in the hands of spammers, it can potentially make the spam filter less effective.

By safeguarding the training data and being mindful of who it's shared with, users can help maintain the integrity of the spam detection mechanism and its ability to accurately differentiate between genuine and spam content.

1. Make sure you are running v0.11.8 or later
2. Navigate to the Admin Dashboard
3. Navigate to the Autospam page
4. Press the Import/Export tab on the Autospam page
5. Press either the Upload Import or Download Export button
6. If you are importing training data, follow the instructions

Let's explore how Sign-in with Mastodon speeds up the registration process, pre-fills essential details, and enables seamless logins using your Mastodon account.

At Pixelfed, we strive to create a user-centric platform that values privacy and community. With Sign-in with Mastodon, we empower our users by leveraging their Mastodon accounts to streamline the sign-up process. By opting to sign up with Mastodon, your avatar, bio, username, and accounts you follow on Mastodon are automatically pre-filled on Pixelfed, saving you time and effort. We believe in making the onboarding process as smooth as possible, so you can focus on sharing your visual stories.

In addition to expediting sign-up, Sign-in with Mastodon enables you to log in to your Pixelfed account effortlessly using your Mastodon account. Once connected, you can enjoy a seamless login experience. This integration simplifies the authentication process, ensuring that you can access your Pixelfed account without any hassle, while keeping your login information secure.

Sign-in with Mastodon not only enhances convenience but also strengthens the bond between the Pixelfed and Mastodon communities. By bridging the gap, this integration encourages collaboration and exploration across platforms. You can easily share your Pixelfed posts to your Mastodon timeline and vice versa, fostering cross-platform interactions and expanding your audience. With Sign-in with Mastodon, you can experience a more connected and vibrant ecosystem, where creative connections thrive.

Pixelfed and Mastodon share a common commitment to decentralization and user privacy. By incorporating Mastodon's trusted authentication system, Pixelfed reinforces its dedication to open-source values and interoperability. We believe in empowering individuals to take control of their online experiences while ensuring their privacy is protected. Sign-in with Mastodon exemplifies this shared vision, enabling users to seamlessly connect and collaborate while retaining control over their data.

Getting Started

Joining Pixelfed with your Mastodon account is a breeze. Visit our flagship instance at pixelfed.social, and choose the "Sign-in with Mastodon" option during login. Your avatar, bio, username, and followed accounts from Mastodon will be automatically imported, expediting the process. And when you return to Pixelfed, simply log in using your Mastodon account for a frictionless experience.

Celebrate Seamless Connectivity

We are thrilled to introduce Sign-in with Mastodon on Pixelfed, revolutionizing the sign-up and login process for our users. We invite you to embrace this feature, connecting with a diverse community of visual storytellers, and exploring new creative horizons together.

Start your seamless Pixelfed journey today, and let Sign-in with Mastodon be your gateway to a vibrant world of visual inspiration and collaboration!

We understand that Instagram has been a significant part of many users' visual journeys, and the Import from Instagram feature aims to streamline the process of preserving and continuing those experiences within the Pixelfed community. Whether you're seeking new creative opportunities or simply looking for an alternative platform, Pixelfed offers a secure and privacy-focused space for showcasing your photography.

So, how does it work? It's incredibly easy! The Import from Instagram feature provides a seamless, step-by-step process to guide you through the importation process. By linking your Instagram account with your Pixelfed profile, you gain the ability to choose which photos and posts you wish to import. Once you make your selections, Pixelfed efficiently retrieves your images, captions, and even the original timestamp associated with each post, ensuring an authentic representation of your Instagram content.

Throughout the importation process, Pixelfed prioritizes user privacy and data security. Your personal information and media remain protected, and only the content you choose to import will be transferred to Pixelfed. Pixelfed's commitment to privacy and data ownership ensures that your content remains securely within your control.

The Import from Instagram feature not only simplifies the transition process for users but also opens up new possibilities for connecting and engaging within the Pixelfed community. By seamlessly importing your existing Instagram content, you can introduce your unique perspective to a new audience, gain fresh insights, and forge connections with like-minded individuals who appreciate your visual storytelling.

Pixelfed's Import from Instagram feature reflects our dedication to providing users with a seamless experience and a smooth transition between platforms. We understand the value of your digital presence and the importance of preserving your creative work as you explore new horizons within the federated social web.

If you're ready to embark on a new chapter of visual expression within Pixelfed or simply wish to preserve your Instagram memories in a secure and privacy-focused environment, the Import from Instagram feature is here to simplify the process and ensure a smooth transition. Update your Pixelfed app or access the web version to take advantage of this groundbreaking feature today!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we continue to enhance Pixelfed, the ultimate platform for federated image sharing, and empower users to showcase their creativity, connect with others, and embark on unforgettable visual journeys.

With the new Post Edit feature, you no longer have to worry about minor errors or typos ruining the impact of your visual creations. Whether it's a misspelled caption, a misplaced tag, or a need for a slight adjustment to the image itself, you can now make edits effortlessly, ensuring that your posts truly reflect your artistic vision.

So, how does it work? It's simple! When viewing one of your posts, you will find an "Edit" button next to the existing interaction options. By clicking on this button, you'll be taken to a familiar editing interface where you can modify the caption, add or remove tags, adjust the image's cropping or filters, and even update the location information.

We understand that privacy is a key concern for our users. Rest assured that the Post Edit feature has been designed with privacy in mind. You can only edit your own posts, and the edit history is transparently recorded to maintain transparency and trust within the community. Furthermore, any changes made to a post will be clearly indicated, allowing viewers to differentiate between the original and the updated versions.

The introduction of the Post Edit feature is a testament to our commitment to continuous improvement and enhancing the Pixelfed experience. We believe that empowering our users with greater control over their content will foster even more creativity and engagement within our vibrant community.

So, whether you're a professional photographer looking to fine-tune the details of your masterpieces or an avid user who wants to ensure their posts are flawless, the Post Edit feature is here to unlock new possibilities and elevate your Pixelfed journey.

We invite you to update your Pixelfed app or access the web version to start exploring this game-changing feature. Don't miss out on the opportunity to refine your posts and make an even stronger visual impact within the Pixelfed community.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we continue to evolve and innovate Pixelfed, the ultimate platform for visual expression!

We are excited to share updates about Pixelfed and it's vibrant ecosystem of apps and services!