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I'm Calling For the Fediverse to Ban UniversalMonk

Today I noticed a huge wall of spam from UniversalMonk from 2 different accounts and didn't initially think much of it and blocked their communities but more spam came from different communities.

At this point I checked and saw that they had created several communities which then led me down the rabbit hole to discover that their posts had almost entirely covered the new posts page of both sh.itjust.works and lemm.ee. Later on I discovered that they're posting right-wing propaganda and misinformation from breitbart, foxnews you name it.


He's already caused and stirred shit 2 months ago and clearly I can see why now.

At this point it's difficult to believe that UniversalMonk will learn proper netiquette in: not post spamming, being considerate to others, and not sharing right-wing extremist content that no one wants.

154 comments
  • Eh, I just had a run-in with them again.

    Trying to get every instance to ban them is a little crazy tbh, and I think you're right that their entire goal is a blend of trolling and misinformation.

    It isn't crazy because they're acting in bad faith. It's crazy because just lemmy is already too big to try and organize a lemmy wide ban. Trying to get a fediverse wide one applied ain't happening.

    Best you can do is report them for the spamming in the instances they do it on.

  • I agree with the sentiment but this here is not a complaints forum.

    Please report that user and his communities to the admins of the instances he's registered at. A quick look at the sidebars of both sh.itjust.works and lemm.ee would suggest that their admins banning him is a slam dunk.

    Maybe ask at !support@lemm.ee and !main@sh.itjust.works what to do?

    On the grounds of !fediverse not being a complaints forum, I'm going to lock this post.

  • Seems like he does get banned frequently by mods, given he has like 10 accounts created on a number of servers in the past few months

  • Based on the number of dislikes I have to imagine that someone out there might have made reports which were probably and unfortunately 'handled/managed' by UniversalMonk as that's how the current moderation system works:


    Currently [as of Jan 12, 2025]
    If a report is sent, both the community moderator(s) and admin(s) are able to see and handle the report.

    • This has the unfortunate side effect where if the moderator has no qualms and dismisses the report it can become unlikely that anyone would know what's going on.

    The user who made the report might then unfortunately think that the admin(s) are condoning the post/content that's shared on their platform which might not actually be the case.


    At this point I'm just going to ask that: if anyone has any posts or comments that they'd like to report, please feel free to also shoot me a Direct Message (DM). I'm going to preempt and say that while I can't promise that I'll respond immediately, I can at least guarantee that I'll reply back saying that I have seen your message.

  • Oh wow. UM really is just a malignancy that refuses to go away, isn't he? I'm all for allowing different opinions but if someone keeps peeing in the pool, sooner or later you stop letting him in.

  • I had actually forgotten about that guy. I blocked him a few months ago because I got tired of his incessant and biased spam.

  • I'm in the center. But as long as it's not illegal, then it's OK.

  • So u want to silence someone for their beliefs. Let em speak and if u dont like it block em and downvote them.

    Free speach does not mean u have a right to not be offended.

    • Sure, I'll take the bait. It's not at all an issue of his beliefs. Plenty of people on Lemmy think that we should vote for third parties, plenty of people on Lemmy think that... I don't know, I blocked UM so long ago that I can't even really remember what his beliefs were. I think he thought Biden was doing a bad job. I don't think that is some weird heretic belief on Lemmy that will get you banned. Nothing he had to say was ever the issue.

      If every time someone gets on the bus, they sit down next to random other passengers and start pestering them about Jesus, loudly and without fail, no matter how much the person clearly doesn't want it, and then when multiple people tell them to stop, they start crying about religious discrimination, yell at the whole bus, say they won't be silenced, show up the next day with a whole backpack full of pamphlets about the first amendment, concoct elaborate disguises to be able to sneak back on the bus once one bus driver finally has had enough and bans them, all the while setting up this incredibly loud consistent whining sound about how they're being persecuted because of their Christianity, it was never about the Christianity.

      You can be Christian on the bus. You can also be Jewish or Muslim. You can wear a headscarf, you can talk to your friends about Jesus, together on the bus. Likewise, you can be anti-Biden, or pro-Biden, or pro-socialist, or whatever you want to be, on Lemmy. When you become so incredibly obnoxious about your style of interaction that the entire community has agreed that you're causing a problem, and then instead of being open to feedback and continuing to say what you think, but in a fashion that is productive and respectful of everyone else, you instead double down and say you won't be silenced and send threatening DMs to your critics and start making a whole bunch of new accounts when you are banned from multiple places, it is time for you to go. Because you had your opportunity to tone it down and integrate within the social contract that makes the place function, and you explicitly and proudly chose not to.

      • Well said, and great example.

      • Very astute response!

      • Sure, I'll take the bait. It's not at all an issue of his beliefs....Nothing he had to say was ever the issue.

        Ok so what is the issue cos op hasnt seemed to have addressed it.

        If every time someone gets on the bus, they sit down next to random other passengers and start pestering them about Jesus, loudly and without fail, no matter how much the person clearly doesn't want it, and then when multiple people tell them to stop, they start crying about religious discrimination, yell at the whole bus, say they won't be silenced, show up the next day with a whole backpack full of pamphlets about the first amendment, concoct elaborate disguises to be able to sneak back on the bus once one bus driver finally has had enough and bans them, all the while setting up this incredibly loud consistent whining sound about how they're being persecuted because of their Christianity, it was never about the Christianity.

        I like ur metaphor it presents a very visceral image of a particular behaviour. Ur forgetting just 1 things lemmy has that a bus doesnt a magic button to make them disapear (the block button). Also nothing wrong with talking to anyone u want about anything u want thats how free speach works.

        You can be Christian on the bus. You can also be Jewish or Muslim. You can wear a headscarf, you can talk to your friends about Jesus, together on the bus. Likewise, you can be anti-Biden, or pro-Biden, or pro-socialist, or whatever you want to be, on Lemmy.

        U can also talk to anyone else u please about anything on this list or not on this list, it doesnt havr to be your friends.

        When you become so incredibly obnoxious about your style of interaction that the entire community has agreed that you're causing a problem,

        Free speach requires that u allow people to be obnoxious, as long as ur not calling for actionable violence i say let em speak.

        and then instead of being open to feedback and continuing to say what you think, but in a fashion that is productive and respectful of everyone else, you instead double down and say you won't be silenced

        Why should anyone be forced to change how they choose to express their beliefs. What if everyone in a neighbourhood decided that rainbow flags where obnoxious, that does not grant them the right to deny the gays there right to express their beliefs however the fuck they want. (So long as its not violent or callibg for actionable violence etc etc).

        and send threatening DMs to your critics

        If this is true which it quite probably could be then op should have started with this. Ill be in full support of instance bans if i can be shown verifyable proof this is true.

        and start making a whole bunch of new accounts when you are banned from multiple places, it is time for you to go.

        Thats how an open platform works good luck stopping it. Ie the technology of Activpub has made the capability to deny any individual their free speach impossible.

        Because you had your opportunity to tone it down and integrate within the social contract that makes the place function, and you explicitly and proudly chose not to.

        I hate the concept of the social contract. I was forced to sign it under duress (i didnt concent to being born etc etc). The politicians, the billionares, the dictators of the world, the thieves stealing food to survive, etc etc etc they have not integrated within the social contract. If there is no enforcement then why follow the rules?

        I believe in a far simpler system that perfectly describes every system far better than the social contract. Darwinian evolution. Given that i would say its pretty arrogant to assert that following the social contract 100% of the time is always the most advantagious.

    • Right to speech != Obligation to listen.

    • So u want to silence someone for their beliefs.

      Allowing people to spout whatever nonsense and cause harm to others is reckless at best, ignorant and insane at worst. I'm old but not old enough to have dementia.

      Free speach does not mean u have a right to not be offended.

      The argument of free speech so hollow, I've seen it used by right-wingers as a rallying cry when in reality free speech is free yes but simutaneously it does not mean free of consequences.

      He's in violation of our TOS and probably several others which reminds me @ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone you'll want to see the last image with dumbass Zuck at the top

      • Allowing people to spout whatever nonsense and cause harm to others is reckless at best, ignorant and insane at worst. I'm old but not old enough to have dementia.

        What words has he said that are cuasing harm. Because if it isnt calling for actionable violence then it isnt causing harm.

        The argument of free speech so hollow, I've seen it used by right-wingers as a rallying cry

        I didnt realise free speach was a right wing idea. I though free speach was a basic liberty of free independent people.

        when in reality free speech is free yes but simutaneously it does not mean free of consequences.

        Free to say as he pleases and get downvoted, judged, resonded to negatively.

        He's in violation of our TOS and probably several others

        What tos violations has he made? Im gonna assume innocent until proven guilty.

    • Speach lmao

    • Don't pretend to be surprised, this is Lemmy we're talking about. It's how they roll! Inclusion through exclusion or something.

154 comments