Offer a different submission option

[unixfox]

Copying the discussion from searx/searx-instances#149 and created by @tacerus

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By @tacerus

Hi,

I appreciate your services, however wonder how being directed to GitHub helps in providing anonymous searx instances. Providers wanting to ensure full anonymity for their users are unable to do so if a GitHub accounts refers back to them.

I suggest the implementation of a submission form that is accessible directly from your instance site, which is already accessible anonymously through Tor.

Cheers, Georg

[unixfox]

That's a very good idea, but we tend to prefer GitHub because it allows us to contact the maintainer in case of issues with his instance.
I think I wouldn't mind creating an email address for submitting instances, but the issue is that this process would be private, and I like the idea of having open submissions like on GitHub where everyone can see and react to them.
Not sure if there are other ways of submitting public posts without having to create an account, maybe something like 4chan...

[unixfox]

By @return42

my 2cent: I think the idea is to protect privacy of the user not of the provider. At least the domain under which a service is provided needs contact data. We also encourage providers to set a contact_url.

if a GitHub accounts refers back to them.

IMO that is the real drawback, that a github account is needed to participate. There are a lot of DevOps out there who leaved github for their own good reasons.

[unixfox]

By @tacerus

By leaking privacy of the provider, indirectly users are being affected too. Whilst not always having to be the case, an infiltrated instance operator could feel pressured to leak users data for their own safety. If the instance operator themselves remain anonymous however, this situation cannot occur in the first place.

Since you prefer to gather things on GitHub, possibly something in the direction of this (not tested) could be of interest: gist.github.com/travstoll/d6d72855b4184fbfc30f3a20a9adbb4c

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We also encourage providers to set a contact_url

Which can be an anonymous email address, no?

[unixfox]

Since you prefer to gather things on GitHub, possibly something in the direction of this (not tested) could be of interest:
gist.github.com/travstoll/d6d72855b4184fbfc30f3a20a9adbb4c

We aren't going to do something like that because without any restriction, the associated GitHub account with an access token could get his account banned/blocked due to potential spam/bad actors sending emails to the email address. I have no desire spending my time to introduce a system that filter spams/bad actors.

It's a good idea, but I would prefer a separate platform which is not related to GitHub. I don't really mind having to check it out from time to time.

[unixfox]

By @tacerus

A separate platform, possibly integrated with the directory page, would of course be even better.

[unixfox]

By @return42

Which can be an anonymous email address, no?

It does not have to be an email address, it is an optional URL.

[unixfox]

I have been thinking that we could use this service for automatically creating a new github issue whenever a new email is sent to an email address for submitting a new searx(ng) instances: https://fire.fundersclub.com/

This would satisfy both parties because we can keep a public record, we can keep managing the public instances from a single point (github) and the submitters just have to use the good old email protocol for adding a new public instance. Each reply would be forwarded by email.

One major possible issue is that we could get SPAM into the github issues, see FundersClub/fire#392

[iotalol]

Maybe a Matrix server for submission?

[unixfox]

I think I've a simple idea for submission using email.

We use github actions.

Each email is associated with a github issue, it is not possible to have multiple issues for the same email address, this make the implementation much easier. And also someone is not going to need to request multiple instances.

The subject of the email is the subject of the issue.

We use github labels for knowing to which address we should send the email to when a reply is done on github. Or put the email inside the title of the issue.