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Playing devils advocate: how else do you prevent spam without requiring a login on every single web page? Especially in the world of AI-powered spam that can be

by api 3y ago

Playing devils advocate: how else do you prevent spam without requiring a login on every single web page? Especially in the world of AI-powered spam that can be indistinguishable from humans and automated at scale and can solve captchas. Spam destroys everything. The open web has been at war with it forever, and soon it will win just like it has won in every other domain that is not completely locked down. I love the fediverse but I fully expect it be destroyed by spam as soon as it gets big and influential enough to be a juicy target. The Internet is a dark forest. The future is private encrypted networks, private forums, etc.

shuckles 3y ago
I think Private Access Token is a reasonable design, and it should be standardized with multiple attestation providers that any client can use. That seems like it would move the web forward, unlike simply not making headway on the problem of spam and fingerprinting/tracking as an anti-spam measure at all.
tjoff 3y ago
> how else do you prevent spam without requiring a login on every single web page? Probably missing something, what can you spam without an account today?
r00fus 3y ago
Spam even exists where logins ARE required. Look at Reddit or Twitter/X and any web-accessible forum where logins are required. Lots of spam everywhere. I don’t think attestation will prevent this, it does however, prevent scraping if attestation is required to even view content.
- Tokumei-no-hito 3y ago
  What would prevent bots from using “approved” attester devices to navigate and scrape? Is attestation done by checking what local processes are running?
yborg 3y ago
Based on where the MAU counts are, by your criteria the Fediverse will be safe from spam forever. Which falls into your last point, it's essentially a set of private forums, that interconnect. It's kind of ironic that the idea of the Fediverse apparently being beyond the neuron activation threshold of most people ends up being an effective filter.

by api 3y ago

shuckles 3y ago

I think Private Access Token is a reasonable design, and it should be standardized with multiple attestation providers that any client can use. That seems like it would move the web forward, unlike simply not making headway on the problem of spam and fingerprinting/tracking as an anti-spam measure at all.

tjoff 3y ago

> how else do you prevent spam without requiring a login on every single web page? Probably missing something, what can you spam without an account today?

r00fus 3y ago

Spam even exists where logins ARE required. Look at Reddit or Twitter/X and any web-accessible forum where logins are required. Lots of spam everywhere. I don’t think attestation will prevent this, it does however, prevent scraping if attestation is required to even view content.

Tokumei-no-hito 3y ago
What would prevent bots from using “approved” attester devices to navigate and scrape? Is attestation done by checking what local processes are running?

yborg 3y ago

Based on where the MAU counts are, by your criteria the Fediverse will be safe from spam forever. Which falls into your last point, it's essentially a set of private forums, that interconnect. It's kind of ironic that the idea of the Fediverse apparently being beyond the neuron activation threshold of most people ends up being an effective filter.