Ok, you have this completely off base about it "not doing anything". While I might be wrong about it defederating, what this code ACTUALLY does is rate other instances defederation lists based on this hard coded list. Let me explain:

The site_instance_chooser_view() function in /app/api/alpha/views.py provides a JSON representation of the current site's metadata for the instance chooser feature. This feature allows users to browse and compare different Fediverse instances before choosing one to join.

Within site_instance_chooser_view(), the defed_list variable is defined as follows (lines 1148‑1151):

defed_list = BannedInstances.query.filter(or_(BannedInstances.domain == 'hexbear.net',
                                              BannedInstances.domain == 'lemmygrad.ml',
                                              BannedInstances.domain == 'hilariouschaos.com',
                                              BannedInstances.domain == 'lemmy.ml')).order_by(BannedInstances.domain).all()

This query retrieves only four specific domains from the BannedInstances table:

1. hexbear.net
2. lemmygrad.ml
3. hilariouschaos.com
4. lemmy.ml

The resulting list is used to populate the defederation field in the returned JSON (line 1187):

'defederation': list(set([instance.domain for instance in defed_list])),

The defederation field is part of the site metadata returned by the API endpoint /api/alpha/site/instance_chooser. This endpoint is called by the instance‑chooser UI (/auth/instance_chooser) when a user clicks “More” on an instance card.

The template app/templates/auth/instance_chooser.html uses the defederation list to compute a defederation quality rating. The rating is based on how many of the four watched domains are blocked:

• ≥3 blocked → “Good”
• 2 blocked → “Ok”
• 1 blocked → “Minimal”
• <1 blocked → “Negligent”

This rating is displayed in the instance details modal under the “Defederation” label (line 114 of the template).

The UI also contains commented‑out code (lines 124‑130) that would show individual status indicators for each of the four domains, but this is currently disabled.

This is problematic for a number of reasons, most of all is that this rating that it generates is NOT transparent to the user. This page is used on PieFeds main page when you go to register, it's part of the instance picker. The defederation rating under More is where this shows up. For instance, this means that instances like anarchist.nexus have a "OK" rating but instances like multiverse.soulism.net have a "GOOD" rating.

Anarchist.nexus has an "OK" raiding because they block Lemmygrad.ml (socialist) and hilariouschaos.com (MAGA instance)

multiverse.soulism.net has a "GOOD" rating because they block Lemmygrad.ml (socialist), Hexbear.net (socialist), lemmy.ml (operated by open communists).

So the Defederation rating has an OBVIOUS BIAS that isn't explained to the users at all. Not only is the bias not explained it doesn't even contain all of the FASCIST INSTANCES IN ITS CALCULATION.

No one was trying to claim that Hexbear and Lemmygrad are Lemmy.ml. This is one of the most embarrassing and pathetic attempts at avoidance by a member of Piefed staff I've ever seen.

The person alleged that all 3 instances were blocked, and the first two absolutely are. But instead of briefly clarifying about the one that isn't while still addressing the two that are defederated by default, you instead chose to double down on the one that wasn't to try and devalidate the argument when you know it is actually in large part true, 2/3 of the instances listed are actually blocked and no one said hexbear and lemmygrad were lemmy.ml.