This is sort of incorrect depending on what you mean by “properly federated”. Lemmy instances don’t actually filter AP messages except for from blocked instances. So if you found some way to send an ActivityPub “Like” without actually viewing or subscribing, it would indeed still count. Keep in mind, Lemmy isn’t the only software that can create and publish “Like” activities.
This is sort of incorrect depending on what you mean by “properly federated”. Lemmy instances don’t actually filter AP messages except for from blocked instances. So if you found some way to send an ActivityPub “Like” without actually viewing or subscribing, it would indeed still count. Keep in mind, Lemmy isn’t the only software that can create and publish “Like” activities.