Kelly Colglazier
UI/Visual Designer

Fediverse Integrity on Threads

Foundational safety systems for enabling third-party content from federated servers.

 

My Role

Product strategy and design for integrity experiences supporting the first fediverse milestone on Threads. Partnered with Product, Engineering, Content Design, and Legal to define how users interact safely with third-party content and accounts.

What shipped

A set of integrity controls for third-party content, including reporting, blocking, and a public server block list, enabling safe interaction with federated replies at launch.

The impact

Enabled Threads to safely launch third-party replies across 100+ countries. Established foundational patterns for handling federated content, scaling into future milestones.

 
 
 
 

Problems

  • No existing integrity systems for third-party content outside Meta’s control

  • No way to verify identity, enforce bans, or guarantee content removal

  • No user controls for interacting with federated accounts or replies

  • Risk of recidivism, impersonation, and misinformation, amplified by global elections

 
 
 

Goal

  • Enable users to report, block, and manage third-party content and accounts

  • Match first-party integrity patterns where possible, while adapting to fediverse constraints

  • Support transparency commitments to the fediverse community

  • Ship all required controls before public rollout

 
 
 

Scope and constraints

  • Milestone one launch did not include profile pages for federated accounts, which required new entry points for controls

  • Reporting required cross-platform handling (forwarding to external servers)

  • Content removed on Threads could still exist externally

  • Work was a hard launch dependency for fediverse milestone one

  • Compressed timeline with engineering building in parallel

  • External events (elections) increased urgency and risk

 
 

Process

 

Mapped integrity risks to user controls

  • Translated risks (recidivism, impersonation, misinformation) into required product interventions

  • Identified which controls were launch-critical vs. follow-ups

Adapted existing systems for federated content

  • Extended first-party reporting flows to support third-party replies

  • Introduced fediverse-specific behaviors (e.g., auto-forwarding reports to external servers)

Designed new interaction patterns

  • Created a profile entry point via tapping the profile image on a post, enabling reporting and blocking without dedicated profile pages

  • Aligned with Threads design system on new patterns for external accounts and links

Balanced simplicity with transparency

  • Reduced user decision-making (auto-block plus auto-forward in reporting)

  • Clearly communicated limitations (e.g., content may still exist off-platform)

 

Solutions

 
 

Post reporting

Extended first-party reporting to third-party replies, automatically forwarding reports to external servers while initiating a block request without additional user steps.

 
 

Account reporting and impersonation

Enabled account-level reporting via a bottom sheet entry point, allowing users to report impersonation without relying on profile pages.

 
 
 

Hide on Threads

Introduced a hide action for third-party replies, clearly communicating that content may still exist outside of Threads.

 
 
 

Server block list

Created a public-facing page with a daily updated list of blocked servers and an appeal flow to support transparency.

 
 

Impact

 

  • Enabled safe launch of third-party replies across 100+ countries

  • Established foundational patterns for fediverse integrity on Threads

  • Reduced user friction through simplified reporting flows

  • Created scalable systems supporting future fediverse expansion