If you federate with Threads, dont Meta have that federated user and content data cached on their servers? Producing content outside of Threads and posting it to Threads still gives them content, and information about you. Much like how people without Facebook accounts still have shadow profiles from being featured in Facebook users’ pictures and posts. The only solution seems to be (though maybe I misunderstand) not to federate or engage with Threads servers. This would be too philosophical a point for the vast majority of Internet, and especially ex-Twitter, users. Mastodon instances would have to explicitly defederate which could kill their userbase if the traffic flows to Threads, which it did in a matter of hours.

How does it give me greater control of my data though? Meta can connect to other instances and collect all the data they want from it. Deleting my info from those instances will not result in that data being deleted from Metas instance. Honestly, the whole federated thing seems like the perfect way for Meta to stick a hoover into my data without me touching their products.

Yeah, I know they already do this through advertising systems and so on. I just fail to see how Fediverse is giving me any more control over my data.