Oddbean new post about login | logout WoT should not exist at the relay level. Users have no granular control. Unlike a WoT implementation at the client level. Prime example being Nostur. Nostur hides the spam and replies outside your WoT, but still empowers you to view them, should you choose. This is freedom. We must push for WoT, but only through clients who let the user have full control to decide what they can see.
In general, trusting relays is a less-good solution than trusting in yourself.
True, WoT on the client side should exist too. But if relays don’t integrate WoT, then they won’t be able to prevent the storage of all that spam. It’s a way to help relay operators avoid bloated storage costs. If operators still let spam through, your client’s local WoT can still filter out the rest of the spam.
The disadvantage to this is suggestion is increased data on potential useless information especially for users with capped data plan. The vast majority of clients so far aren't doing a good job in this regard. At least with wot relays, this helps.
isn't the end effect the same if all the popular clients use the same WoT protocols?
Only if all those clients also decide not to allow the user to view them. Otherwise, Nostur's approach has been the accurate one. It only hides them, optionally allowing you to still view. A relay implementation of WoT is all or nothing. There is no ability to granularly decide. The relay then has all the power.
Providing choice is excellence
Relay operators are as free to choose what they want to store as users are to choose what they want to see. Free relays are free only for the users, they have costs for the operator, and he has the "freedom" to minimize those costs by cutting off spam! What operators should not do is do is hide this from users. If you operate a WoT relay, be open about it, and about whose WoT it is. You do not agree with the relay rules, you have thousands of choices to choose from. Jus don't use the WoT ones. That said, it still a bad implementation to avoid spam. Too many downsides. It is valid only as a strategy to reduce costs, or if used personally by the operator because you couldn't find any web clients that implement WoT (my case).