diff --git a/include/conversation.php b/include/conversation.php
index a4fe9c00e3..5b7ccbd8a1 100644
--- a/include/conversation.php
+++ b/include/conversation.php
@@ -769,20 +769,12 @@ function conversation_add_children(array $parents, $block_authors, $order, $uid)
 
 	$items = [];
 
+	$follow = Item::activityToIndex(Activity::FOLLOW);
+
 	foreach ($parents AS $parent) {
-		$condition = ["`item`.`parent-uri` = ? AND `item`.`uid` IN (0, ?) ",
-			$parent['uri'], $uid];
-		if ($block_authors) {
-			$condition[0] .= "AND NOT `author`.`hidden`";
-		}
-
-		$thread_items = Item::selectForUser(local_user(), array_merge(Item::DISPLAY_FIELDLIST, ['contact-uid', 'gravity']), $condition, $params);
-
-		$comments = conversation_fetch_comments($thread_items, $parent['pinned'] ?? false);
-
-		if (count($comments) != 0) {
-			$items = array_merge($items, $comments);
-		}
+		$condition = ["`item`.`parent-uri` = ? AND `item`.`uid` IN (0, ?) AND (`activity` != ? OR `activity` IS NULL)",
+			$parent['uri'], $uid, $follow];
+		$items = conversation_fetch_items($parent, $items, $condition, $block_authors, $params);
 	}
 
 	foreach ($items as $index => $item) {
@@ -796,6 +788,31 @@ function conversation_add_children(array $parents, $block_authors, $order, $uid)
 	return $items;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Fetch conversation items
+ *
+ * @param array $parent
+ * @param array $items
+ * @param array $condition
+ * @param boolean $block_authors
+ * @param array $params
+ * @return array
+ */
+function conversation_fetch_items(array $parent, array $items, array $condition, bool $block_authors, array $params) {
+	if ($block_authors) {
+		$condition[0] .= "AND NOT `author`.`hidden`";
+	}
+
+	$thread_items = Item::selectForUser(local_user(), array_merge(Item::DISPLAY_FIELDLIST, ['contact-uid', 'gravity']), $condition, $params);
+
+	$comments = conversation_fetch_comments($thread_items, $parent['pinned'] ?? false);
+
+	if (count($comments) != 0) {
+		$items = array_merge($items, $comments);
+	}
+	return $items;
+}
+
 function item_photo_menu($item) {
 	$sub_link = '';
 	$poke_link = '';
diff --git a/mod/ping.php b/mod/ping.php
index 3057fb9e31..3dab119700 100644
--- a/mod/ping.php
+++ b/mod/ping.php
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ use Friendica\Model\Contact;
 use Friendica\Model\Group;
 use Friendica\Model\Item;
 use Friendica\Model\Notify\Type;
+use Friendica\Protocol\Activity;
 use Friendica\Util\DateTimeFormat;
 use Friendica\Util\Temporal;
 use Friendica\Util\Proxy as ProxyUtils;
@@ -134,9 +135,10 @@ function ping_init(App $a)
 
 		$notifs = ping_get_notifications(local_user());
 
-		$condition = ["`unseen` AND `uid` = ? AND `contact-id` != ?", local_user(), local_user()];
+		$condition = ["`unseen` AND `uid` = ? AND `contact-id` != ? AND (`activity` != ? OR `activity` IS NULL)",
+			local_user(), local_user(), Item::activityToIndex(Activity::FOLLOW)];
 		$fields = ['id', 'parent', 'verb', 'author-name', 'unseen', 'author-link', 'author-avatar', 'contact-avatar',
-			'network', 'created', 'object', 'parent-author-name', 'parent-author-link', 'parent-guid', 'wall'];
+			'network', 'created', 'object', 'parent-author-name', 'parent-author-link', 'parent-guid', 'wall', 'activity'];
 		$params = ['order' => ['received' => true]];
 		$items = Item::selectForUser(local_user(), $fields, $condition, $params);
 
diff --git a/src/Model/Item.php b/src/Model/Item.php
index 44e00b09b3..38ea35c8f6 100644
--- a/src/Model/Item.php
+++ b/src/Model/Item.php
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ class Item
 		'event-id', 'event-created', 'event-edited', 'event-start', 'event-finish',
 		'event-summary', 'event-desc', 'event-location', 'event-type',
 		'event-nofinish', 'event-adjust', 'event-ignore', 'event-id',
-		'delivery_queue_count', 'delivery_queue_done', 'delivery_queue_failed'
+		'delivery_queue_count', 'delivery_queue_done', 'delivery_queue_failed', 'activity'
 	];
 
 	// Field list that is used to deliver items via the protocols
@@ -1672,7 +1672,13 @@ class Item
 				$allow_gid      = $parent['allow_gid'];
 				$deny_cid       = $parent['deny_cid'];
 				$deny_gid       = $parent['deny_gid'];
-				$item['wall']   = $parent['wall'];
+
+				// Don't federate received participation messages
+				if ($item['verb'] != Activity::FOLLOW) {
+					$item['wall'] = $parent['wall'];
+				} else {
+					$item['wall'] = false;
+				}
 
 				/*
 				 * If the parent is private, force privacy for the entire conversation