this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2026
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Privacy
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No. There is zero need for this shit, don't normalize it.
There is a clear need for it. There's value in having online discussion spaces that aren't just swamped with bots. We really need a reliable way of telling human from bot. I want to find a way to do that preserves privacy to the greatest degree possible.
Do you have any constructive criticism to offer? Maybe a suggested improvement, or an alternative way to accomplish the same goal? What's your solution to separate human from bot?
There is no need for it. Sorry. Certainly not government mandated, which is the worst part.
Frankly if you treat the internet like was did all the way back in bbs days, it doesn't matter that much: Everyone is a liar. So I don't care what anyone says. Bot or not.
In the forums I run we haven't seen much of a bot presence at all, so these spaces already exist. How do I know? We have all met each other at one point or another. So I may know a, a knows b, and so on.
Do I want the burden of starting authentication on top of this? No.
I don't want the internet to require me to get authentication. I really don't care about the bot issue. Go outside and meet people in real life if that's what you want.
YOU have no need of it. You're projecting your experiences onto everyone else. Maybe you're content only hanging out in limited forums where you have to know someone to join. And those forums can continue to operate without any human verification. If you don't care whether the spaces you occupy are infested with bots, or can manage with white lists, fine. But most people don't want to talk to bots. Not everyone has the social connections you do.
I don't support mandating ID for anything. But you are not the only person in the world. Just because you have no need of it, doesn't mean no one does. Not everyone uses the internet the same way you do.
"Only join forums where you personally know the people there" is not a scalable solution to this problem.
Respect a diversity of viewpoints and experiences. Your way is not the only way.
In fairness, you are doing this right now.
You are free to create websites that function this way, or participate in websites that function this way, but don't push it on the rest of the internet.
Sure it is. We didnt all know each other personally when we started, and people are welcome to join anytime. We just can figure out pretty quickly who is real and who is not because we meet each other. So what problem?
Of course not, because they are either idiots, or never learned the basics. This is internet 101.
You are commenting in a privacy forum. I quite likely am talking to a bot, or you are talking to a bot right? So don't listen to me, BUT: no matter how hard you try, making any system that requires any kind of verification on an internet wide scale WILL be abused.
Use the internet as intended and the problem goes away.
Edit: also, even if you filter the bots, the issues remain because in many ways people are just as bad. Misleading, argumentative, liars, agendas, half truths, etc. So it doesnt really matter.