This is the ELLIS mastodon server. ELLIS is a community of researchers interested in all aspects of machine learning, often at the forefront of the field.

This is the official ELLIS Mastodon server, it is open to anyone interested in discussing the advancement of machine learning as such or its relevance in a global context.

ELLIS is the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems - it is a pan-European AI network of excellence which focuses on fundamental science, technical innovation and societal impact. Founded in 2018, ELLIS builds upon machine learning as the driver for modern AI and aims to secure Europe’s sovereignty in this competitive field by creating a multi-centric AI research laboratory. ELLIS wants to ensure that the highest level of AI research is performed in the open societies of Europe.

FAQ

What is ELLIS Social?

ELLIS Social is a Mastodon instance for people researching, working on, or just interested in AI. Members are welcome whether or not they are affiliated with the ELLIS network. We went live on 2022/12/01.

Who should Join ELLIS Social?

You should join ELLIS Social if you would like to be part of a Mastodon community primarily focused on discussing AI. We do not gatekeep who can join; it does not matter whether you are a researcher, engineer, hacker, student, artist, or just curious.

Should I only toot about AI?

You can feel free to toot about anything at all, as long as it complies with the Code of Conduct. We may however ask you to migrate to a different instance if your focus is not AI at all.

Who runs ELLIS Social?

ELLIS Social is administered and maintained by volunteers within the ELLIS network.

I’m already on a different Mastodon server. Should I move to ELLIS Social?

If you’re interested in AI, and you would like to connect with a community aligned with ELLIS’s vision, we’d love to have you join our server. There are a number of other AI-related Mastodon servers that could also provide a good fit for you, and you’d still be able to follow and/or interact with members on ellis.social by virtue of Mastodon’s federation system. If you wish to migrate to ellis.social, you can start with a simple redirect from your old profile, or you can do a full profile move; see the Mastodon moving page for further information.

Will you ban me for X?

We will take appropriate moderation measures against any violations of the Code of Conduct. We also reserve the right to take actions in the best interest of the community in situations we deem harmful but do not clearly violate the Code of Conduct. We will generally lean towards promoting free expression and issuing warning and restrictions rather than bans, but this is absolutely not a free-speech-above-all platform.

Where is my data stored?

ELLIS Social is hosted by AWS in Frankfurt, Germany. All data storage and processing is done through AWS.

Can you access my private DMs?

The only way we can access private communications from ELLIS Social is through exporting the database stored by AWS. The database is backed up automatically by AWS. We will not inspect the database for any reasons. Regardless, we recommend not sharing any private or secure information on this platform.

Here are some recommended practices for helping make ELLIS Social a great place for everyone here:

• Browse the local feed when starting out. Mastodon has three types of feeds: home (people or hashtags you follow), local (all posts from this instance), and federated (all posts from this instance and any users from other instances that are follow by anyone on here). Until you follow some people or hashtags, the local feed is your best bet for discovering content.
• Use hashtags. Mastodon does not have an algorithmic feed, so hashtags are often used for finding content relevant to your interests. So, using hashtags will make it easier for others to find and follow you, and for you to find others as well. We list a set of recommended hashtags below!
• Use the unlisted privacy setting in replies and threads. The default post privacy in Mastodon is 'global', which gets posted to the local timeline, whereas 'unlisted' is only shown when browsing the replies to a given post. Using unlisted for most replies and threads makes the timeline less cleaner and nicer to browse.
• Look into the non-official apps for Mastodon. There are some apps not made by Mastodon that provide an arguably better frontend. Examples include Tusky and Toot!
• Consider using content warnings/content labels. The CW button when writing posts stands for 'content warning', and then you include one in your post only the text for it is shown unless a user presses a button to see the rest of the post. We recommend using it for sensitive content, but you can also use them like a subject line or TLDR as well!
• Explore Mastodon notification options. Mastodon allows you to mute various types of notifications, which can make it easier to focus on just replies and ignore favorites or boosts if you prefer to do so.
• Report any content you think might violate the code of conduct. Moderation on Mastodon primarily relies on the users reporting objectionable content, at which point our mods can take care of it. Reporting bad content will make the experience on ELLIS Social better for everyone!
• Aim to be generally civil and friendly :)

Code of Conduct

ELLIS Social is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone.

We want this community to maintain a fun, pleasant, and harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. In keeping with these aims, we do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Anyone who violates this code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from ELLIS Social at the discretion of the organizers of the Gradient.

Harassment, including the following activities, will not be tolerated:

• Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, age, race, or religion.
• Unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment.
• Deliberate misgendering or use of ‘dead’ or rejected names.
• Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behaviour in spaces where they’re not appropriate.
• Physical contact and simulated physical contact (eg, textual descriptions like "hug" or “backrub“) without consent or after a request to stop.
• Threats of violence.
• Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm.
• Deliberate intimidation.
• Stalking or following.
• Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.
• Sustained disruption of discussion.
• Unwelcome sexual attention.
• Pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others. The Gradient is intended to be a welcoming platform, so while friendships in support of research are encouraged, note that the Gradient is not a dating platform. Flirting or other unprofessional behavior may make someone uncomfortable. If a member requests another member to stop this type of behavior and it continues, it will be considered harassment.
• Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease.
• Deliberate "outing" of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent except as necessary to protect vulnerable people from intentional abuse.
• Publication of non-harassing private communication.
• Explicitly rude or degrading remarks in general.

Reporting

If you are being harassed by a user of ELLIS Social, notice that someone else is being harassed, believe confidentiality has been violated, or have any other concerns, please report this via the standard Mastodon tools. We will respond as promptly as we can.

Organizers reserve the right to exclude people from ELLIS Social based on their past behavior, including behavior outside ELLIS Social.

We will respect confidentiality requests for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse. At our discretion, we may publicly name a person about whom we’ve received harassment complaints, or privately warn third parties about them, if we believe that doing so will increase the safety of the members the Gradient or the general public. We will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent. Consequences

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion ELLIS Social and identification of the participant as a harasser to other members of Mastodon.

Credit and License

This policy is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero license. It is slightly adapted from the Sigmoid Social policy, where parts were copied from the ML Collective Code of Conduct.

1. No racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or discrimination in general
2. No sexually explicit or violent media
3. No harassment, dogpiling or doxxing of other users
4. Do not share intentionally false or misleading information
5. Follow the Code of Conduct
6. No spam or using an account solely for advertising
7. Your account bio or post history should in some way indicate interest in machine learning, intelligent systems or AI

1. aethy.com: limitation
2. allships.run: limitation
3. apricot.social: limitation
4. asso.lgbt: limitation
5. boing.world: limitation
6. c.im: limitation
7. cupoftea.social: suspension
8. deadinsi.de: suspension
9. ebf.social: limitation
10. framapiaf.org: limitation
11. fulda.social: limitation
12. fursuits.online: limitation
13. gamepad.club: limitation
14. glauca.space: limitation
15. handon.club: limitation
16. ifwo.eu: limitation
17. is.nota.live: suspension
18. itdev.social: limitation
19. m.daevien.com: suspension
20. mastodon-japan.net: limitation
21. mastodon.chuggybumba.com: limitation
22. mastodon.de: limitation
23. mastodon.gougere.fr: limitation
24. mastodon.me.uk: limitation
25. mastodon.thenewoil.org: limitation
26. matthijs.social: limitation
27. muenchen.social: limitation
28. nileane.fr: limitation
29. orchard.social: limitation
30. ottawa.place: limitation
31. pandas.social: limitation
32. photog.social: limitation
33. pokemon.mastportal.info: suspension
34. polyglot.city: limitation
35. radio.quaqoostore.net: limitation
36. social.afront.org: suspension
37. social.taker.fr: limitation
38. strangeobject.space: limitation
39. tiggi.es: limitation
40. toki.social: limitation
41. tooot.im: limitation
42. toot.cat: limitation
43. troet.cafe: limitation
44. wandering.shop: limitation
45. zoo.retro-ink.com: limitation