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Lead Lemmy developer dessalines@lemmy.ml Appears to Have Had Their Account Compromised After Moderation Actions Raise Serious Concerns

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https://lemmy.world/u/autonomoususer posted on Mar 8, 2026 01:16

Cross posted here as it was highlighted that the individual is a lead Lemmy developer, raising serious concerns about the direction of Lemmy, a leading Fediverse platform, and the impact on future user adoption.

Hi

There have been some rather concerning actions taken by an admin of the !privacy@lemmy.ml community, dessalines@lemmy.ml. Based on recent moderation decisions and a complete lack of communication, it seems like their account may have been compromised, or even more concerning if these actions are deliberate.

  1. Erroneous Rule 4 Enforcement, First Instance: a guide posted to !privacy@lemmy.ml, despite receiving many positive votes and comments, was removed under Rule 4:

If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered

However, this post was a guide and not a question, so Rule 4 does not apply. Attempts were made to reach out for clarification but there has been no response, despite their account showing recent activity.

  1. Erroneous Rule 4 Enforcement, Second Instance: an on-topic informational video also posted to !privacy@lemmy.ml, despite also receiving many positive votes, was again removed under Rule 4. This post was again not asking a question, so again Rule 4 does not apply. Again, no explanation has been given.

  2. User Bans in Completely Unrelated Communities: user bans of over a month have been applied for not only !privacy@lemmy.ml but several completely unrelated communities:

  • !emacs@lemmy.ml
  • !personalfinance@lemmy.ml
  • !linux@lemmy.ml
  • !lemmy_support@lemmy.ml
  • !opensource@lemmy.ml
  • !india@lemmy.ml
  • !asklemmy@lemmy.ml
  • !steam@lemmy.ml
  • !linux_gaming@lemmy.ml
  • !degoogle@lemmy.ml
  • !libre_software@lemmy.ml

This is especially concerning given that the above posts have no relation to these communities, and no recent activity has been made in any of them, meaning none of their rules could have been broken. Moreover, a public track record of positive contributions across Lemmy has been established, with many positive votes and comments received over a sustained period. Given all of this, the bans appear to be highly disproportionate, only adding to the growing concerns around moderation practices.

  1. Repost with Disclaimer Removed: a repost of the guide, despite a disclaimer explaining the original removal appears to be in error and that attempts to contact the admin have failed, despite again receiving many positive votes and constructive comments, was once again removed. Again, no explanation has been given.

Given all of this, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that something is not right. Mistakes in moderation happen but the complete lack of communication, the disproportionate actions, and the ongoing bans from unrelated communities raise serious concerns. It seems as though the account is most likely compromised, or even more concerning if these actions are deliberate.

Has anyone else experienced similar issues with this admin, or does anyone have more insight into what might be happening?

TL;DR: Admin dessalines@lemmy.ml of !privacy@lemmy.ml appears to be making seriously concerning moderation decisions, including erroneous enforcement of Rule 4 in at least two separate instances, failing to respond to messages, and applying user bans in completely unrelated communities despite a long track record of positive contributions across Lemmy. This has led to speculation that their account is likely compromised, or even more concerning if these actions are deliberate.

Any thoughts or similar experiences would be appreciated.

Cross post with https://lemmy.world/post/43944126

https://lemmy.world/post/43978041

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https://lemmy.world/u/autonomoususer posted on Mar 10, 2026 14:52
In reply to: https://quokk.au/comment/3602385

Done, thanks!

https://lemmy.world/comment/22581781
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https://lemmy.sdf.org/u/goferking0 posted on Mar 10, 2026 17:06
In reply to: https://quokk.au/comment/3611529

piefed is the way

Piefed is just as bad and is designed to mimic the worst parts of reddit

https://lemmy.sdf.org/comment/26524425

Some may find this amusing and interesting: Digg doesn't seem to be as active as the Fediverse.

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https://piefed.social/u/Skavau posted on Feb 26, 2026 02:07

Digg’s officially launched now for about a month and it’s… really underwhelming.

Check their equivalent of Hot.

The “Most Dugg” posts by upvotes as of this post:

+110, +107, +89, +86, +84, +84, +79, +79 (roughly in the last 24 hours)

As compared to Lemmy/Piefed/Mbin as seen on Lemmy.world (Top in last 24 hours):

+1.22k, +952, +855, +751, +669, +646, +620, +612

That’s really poor from Digg honestly.

https://piefed.social/c/fediverse/p/1817809/some-may-find-this-amusing-and-interesting-digg-doesn-t-seem-to-be-as-active-as-the-fed

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https://lemmy.world/u/GarboDog posted on Feb 28, 2026 13:39
In reply to: https://sh.itjust.works/comment/23989795

IKR it was weird and ridiculous

https://lemmy.world/comment/22394985
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https://lemmy.ml/u/thoro posted on Feb 28, 2026 18:49
In reply to: https://mander.xyz/comment/25518010

I understand how probable things can be, but good lord, I would be so aggravated if people judged me based on my father’s politics

https://lemmy.ml/comment/24243179

Conversation

$$2154
https://feddit.org/u/Hupf posted on Feb 21, 2026 00:18
In reply to: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/24506375

The answers to https://mander.xyz/comment/25351806 address this pretty nicely.

https://feddit.org/comment/11638483

Conversation

$$1287
https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/u/n0respect posted on Feb 20, 2026 03:50
In reply to: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/24506484

I think I wasnt thinking clearly. sticked posts it doesn’t matter what the up/downvote ratio is, its still gets pushed to all. COrrect?

https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/24522761

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https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/u/Azzu posted on Feb 20, 2026 14:34
In reply to: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/24529536

Are there stats for how much voting eligible users there are, and how much of them actually vote on governance topics, or see (click on) governance topics?

https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/24529595
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https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/u/db0 posted on Feb 20, 2026 14:35
In reply to: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/24529595

No

https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/24529601
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