On this question of verification, I don’t have a particularly foolproof solution, but maybe there just isn’t one.
I can criticize the modern web for a lot of things, but as long as we have situations where we want to check whether an account is a real person, as opposed to FarmingBot #295038, they need something. I’m not a fan of phone verification, but I’d only criticize it when we have alternatives.
I’d even be in favor of some kind of one-way algorithm by which a trusted real-person-identifying entity could tell a random third party site: Yes, this is a genuine human.
X509 certificates would allow a government agency to sign a digital identity indicating that it’s legitimate, would allow for remote revocation in the event of loss or theft, and can be easily integrated with every existing computer and browser.
I can criticize the modern web for a lot of things, but as long as we have situations where we want to check whether an account is a real person, as opposed to FarmingBot #295038, they need something. I’m not a fan of phone verification, but I’d only criticize it when we have alternatives.
I’d even be in favor of some kind of one-way algorithm by which a trusted real-person-identifying entity could tell a random third party site: Yes, this is a genuine human.
The technology has existed since the 80s.
X509 certificates would allow a government agency to sign a digital identity indicating that it’s legitimate, would allow for remote revocation in the event of loss or theft, and can be easily integrated with every existing computer and browser.
An issued physical card would resemble a credit card, with a chip in it. Other physical form factors can take the shape of USB-devices which bundle the card and the reader into a single device.