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The internet is no longer a safe haven

(brainbaking.com)
253 points akyuu | 12 comments | 16 Nov 25 13:12 UTC | HN request time: 0.578s | source | bottom
1. bpt3 ◴[16 Nov 25 15:33 UTC] No.45945829[source]▶
The internet hasn't been a safe haven since the 80s, or maybe earlier (that was before my time, and it's never been one since I got online in the early 90s).

The only real solution is to implement some sort of identity management system, but that has so many issues that make it a non-starter.

replies(3): >>45945895 #>>45946305 #>>45946794 #
2. lotsofpulp ◴[16 Nov 25 15:42 UTC] No.45945895[source]▶
> The only real solution is to implement some sort of identity management system, but that has so many issues that make it a non-starter.

Apple and Alphabet seem positioned to easily enable it.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/11/apple-introduces-digi...

replies(3): >>45945956 #>>45945964 #>>45949422 #
3. JSR_FDED ◴[16 Nov 25 15:50 UTC] No.45945956[source]▶
I don’t get it. That link refers to Apple letting you put your passport and drivers license info in the wallet on your phone.
replies(1): >>45946181 #
4. pixl97 ◴[16 Nov 25 15:51 UTC] No.45945964[source]▶
Alphabet the company that bans people for opaque reasons with no recourse, good idea. Maybe tech should not be in charge of digital identification
replies(1): >>45946832 #
5. Astronaut3315 ◴[16 Nov 25 16:17 UTC] No.45946181{3}[source]▶
Apple’s Wallet app presents this feature as being for “age and identity verification in apps, online and in person”.
6. cosmicgadget ◴[16 Nov 25 16:29 UTC] No.45946305[source]▶
Was it a safe haven or was it less safe but simply an unprofitable target?
replies(1): >>45949410 #
7. unreal37 ◴[16 Nov 25 17:32 UTC] No.45946794[source]▶
Given that the World Wide Web was invented in 1989... are you saying that the Internet was safer when only FTP and Usenet existed?
replies(1): >>45949393 #
8. lotsofpulp ◴[16 Nov 25 17:36 UTC] No.45946832{3}[source]▶
The governments like it that way. They want banks and tech companies to be intermediaries that are more difficult to hold accountable, because they can just say “we didn’t feel like doing business with this person”.
9. bpt3 ◴[16 Nov 25 23:24 UTC] No.45949393[source]▶
I'm saying that those weren't a safe haven either.

The internet has been full of rogue actors and soft targets since shortly after its inception.

It may have had a small enough user base to be considered a safe haven for a brief period, but it was before my time.

10. bpt3 ◴[16 Nov 25 23:26 UTC] No.45949410[source]▶
At some point, everyone on the internet knew everyone else in person or by reputation. Once that was gone, it was no longer a safe space, if it even was before then.
11. bpt3 ◴[16 Nov 25 23:28 UTC] No.45949422[source]▶
They certainly could in theory, but it's hard to think of any company I'd trust to do it. These two certainly aren't on the list.
replies(1): >>45949924 #
12. lotsofpulp ◴[17 Nov 25 00:50 UTC] No.45949924{3}[source]▶
They don’t need you to trust them, just the governments and majority of the market.