Comment by dom96
15 hours ago
> Requiring proof of identity is the only solution I can think of, despite how unappealing it is
Same. I agree that it is unappealing but it can be done in a way that respects anonymity.
I built this and talk about it here: https://blog.picheta.me/post/the-future-of-social-media-is-h...
I think we’re on the precipice of this being a requirement to have any faith you’re talking to another human. As a side effect it also helps avoid state actors from influencing others.
> I think we’re on the precipice of this being a requirement to have any faith you’re talking to another human.
Except that it doesn't prove you're talking to a human - it just increases the hurdles for bot operators (buy or steal verified accounts).
It adds enough of a barrier to be worth it. In the way I have implemented it, you can only have one account per ID (for example passport). Yes, you can buy fake passports, but it's prohibitively expensive. Read my blog post for more info.
This is not a technical issue - it's a societal one. Do we want online ID verification? Are the trade-offs worth it? Do we want to make the internet a place that requires an ID everywhere for age verification or to prove that you're human? What would the implications be?
Regarding your implementation: Most people don't have a passport, so it's a non-starter - but again, this topic is not a technical issue.
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I mean, reddit accounts are valued based on the identity they have built. Its not farfetched to imagine uninterested users making and selling a single account each.